A look at the work senior Anna

STRIVING FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Coordinator Jennifer Riesenmy advocates for change

RYAN TUNG look at our structures from a district cultivated by English to Speakers of features staff standpoint,” Riesenmy said. Other Languages programs. Since embracing this full-time “The ESOL program was

Marginalization, inequity and role after 22 years working in the incredibly inviting and helpful,” exclusion. Everyday, these Ladue district, Riesenmy has taken sophomore Artur Breternitz said. three words resonate with action to address disparities within “You can really tell [the teachers] care

Jennifer Riesenmy — not just as the district. This year, Riesenmy about their job and kids.” surviving relics of the American coordinated the rethinking of However, despite demographic education system, but as motivation outdated, district-wide disciplinary diversity, ensuring equity has to reform Ladue School District into a policies to enhance student equity. proved challenging. Because of more equitable home for learning. “Prior to now, there were past discrimination built into the Riesenmy, Ladue’s diversity, students who were disproportionately education system, marginalization equity and inclusion coordinator, sent to the office [through] 70 within Ladue still remains. represents a growing movement different discipline codes that were “We have to recognize the within the district to address subjective and based on assumption,” urgency that we need change now,” exclusivity in education. After years Riesenmy said. “Now, our discipline Riesenmy said. “We can change of being a part-time role, the position code is very specific and is about policies, but changing the way people has been made full time for the first helping heal relationships and view the world — that’s hard.” time this school year. reflection, not punishment.” The COVID-19 pandemic has only “I work with teachers on how to While slow, this work has brought amplified this inequality. Unequal fuse equity and inclusion into their progress towards making a welcoming access to resources, combined teaching practices and curriculum environment in the Ladue curriculum. with health and financial concerns and also Today, the Ladue School District at home, have resulted in groups is home to students of 59 experiencing disproportionate losses different language in learning. backgrounds — “Ladue is making a difference on

A DAY WITH a level of diversity diversity, equity and inclusion, [but] COVID-19 has brought challenges DR. RIESENMY to the ESOL program,” Diana Hsu, coordinator of the district ESOL program, said. “It has been difficult

Walking through Riesenmy’s typical activities 1 this year to reach all students at a variety of levels virtually.” Despite these challenges, p h o t o by | G R A C E H E N S L E Y 2 3 Presentation for Superintendent assistants across the region on humanizing antiracism Meeting with Director of Communications to broaden support of district affinity groups district administrators continue to push for meaningful reform. Until everyone can have equal access to education, Riesenmy refuses to quit. “The education system was built for the majority,” Riesenmy said. “We have to change systems in school so that it serves everyone that we say we value. Everybody has the right to learn.” p Meeting with lead ESOL teacher about testing access and inclusion 08 FEATURES SPREAD DESIGN BY OVIYA SRIHARI

ABBEY CARRICO

features staff

Human rights violations, international atrocities and pursuing criminal justice are just several of the topics senior Anna Reis has delved into. Reis has been working to compose new curriculums for middle and high school level social studies courses. Through her work with several professionals at Washington University’s Whitney R. Harris World Law Institute, Reis has composed multiple lesson plans about these social topics. She, along with help from Ladue teachers and administrators, has started to implement her curriculum into classes at Ladue, Clayton, John Burroughs and MICDS. “The only real time Ladue students learned about human rights violations was in middle school, through the Holocaust,” Reis said. “Human rights violations have not stopped since the Holocaust; there are many things that have taken place since then.” After realizing this flaw, Reis began to look for ways to solve it. Once she joined the Harris Institute program, she spent over three months crafting content to be placed in specific classes through middle and high school. Reis sent her curriculum to her past teacher Lalia Crabtree, the english language arts and social studies coordinator for the district, so she could distribute it to the social studies departments. “One of [the lessons Reis] wrote was International Criminal Justice and Atrocities and then the other one is the International Human Rights Overview,” Crabtree said. “I feel like those are topics that we don’t cover very often or explicitly in our social studies scope and sequence.” Reis had the support of previous teachers, but also the community involved in the Harris Institute’s initiative. She worked briefly with Leila Sadat, a professor at the institute, in addition to other Ladue students involved with the program, such as senior Sam Cobin. “It’s the first year of implementing [the curriculum] and COVID-19 causes a lot of complications, but I do feel good about it,” Cobin said. “I’m happy that kids at Ladue will start having a more holistic view of the world, and really understand what’s going on around them.” Although reactions to the new curriculum are forthcoming, many agree the curriculum will be beneficial to the students’ comprehension of the injustices they might not acknowledge otherwise. Reis plans to continue her work next summer and develop more ideas regarding human rights. “I got two lessons last summer, so writing two or three more would be great,” Reis said. “It would be great to pass the torch to someone next year from Ladue and say, ‘You can either continue writing classes or come up with a new project idea.’ I think that’s my intention for the future.” p

NAVIGATING REIS’S HISTORY CLASS

curriculum designed by Reis Introducing the new history LESSON 1: ENFORCING HUMAN What this lesson covers: RIGHTS LESSON 2: INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE What this lesson covers: Treaties the U.S. has signed International bodies enforcing human rights law, such as the U.N. Work done by organizations such as Amnesty International The International Criminal Court How the ICC operates, its history and current challenges it faces The four crimes the ICC prosecutes

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