4 minute read
DEB News
Student Leaders Come Together to Create Solidarity Statement
Members from all student affinity groups and clubs formally pledged to promote belonging and stand together against acts of racism, sexism, homophobia, injustice, and oppression by collaborating on a solidarity statement. The statement was presented during Morning Meeting on March 14, with each student group reading their own commitments aloud to the Upper School student body. Affinity groups and clubs represented included the Student Government Association, the Students of Color Association, the Black Student Alliance, the Gender and Sexuality Alliance, the Asian Student Union, the International Students Club, Latinx, the Middle Eastern Students Association, and the Jewish Student Alliance.
▼ Middle School students improve
visibility of all-gender bathrooms
The Rainbow Alliance is a Middle School club dedicated to supporting LGBTQ+ students, faculty, and staff at St. Andrew’s. One of their initiatives this year was raising awareness of the all-gender bathrooms on campus, so they created signs and maps that are now displayed throughout the main building.
“We hope that these signs will help make sure that everyone at our school, of all gender identities and gender presentations, knows that they belong here and that there is a space for them,” Rainbow Alliance members Ariya ’27, Lila ’26, and Zoe ’27 shared when they introduced the signs to the Middle School.
▲ “HER” Conference brings together
students for a day of connection
The “HER” conference, designed for St. Andrew’s students who self-identify with the pronouns she, her, they, or them, brought together students in grades 8-12 for a day of connection and empowerment March 3. The theme of the conference was “Yes Means Yes” and was centered around mentally and physically empowering women as they face harassment throughout their lives. The conference was facilitated by St. Andrew's students and faculty as well as community members, including Lisa Owens, who led a self-defense workshop, and alumna Edie Demas ’83, who supported a creative art space.
Latinx, International Students
Club share holiday traditions with Upper School
Throughout the school year, clubs organized around affinity groups have helped our students gain a deeper understanding of important holidays and traditions. For Día de los Muertos, the Latinx Club created an altar and cultural awareness display outside the Diversity, Equity, and Belonging Office. The altar featured photos of loved ones that club members honor for the holiday, including grandparents and pets. For Lunar New Year, members of the International Students Club led a
chapel service, during which they introduced their peers to one of their favorite Lunar New Year traditions: gathering with family to watch the Spring Festival Gala, a special broadcast that features acrobatics, songs, and dances performed by a variety of Chinese ethnic groups.
▼ Black Alumni Collective expands
and enhances programming with in-person, virtual events
The 2021-2022 academic year kicked off for the Black Alumni Collective with the BAC-2-School Bash, an on-campus fellowship event for families of color and faculty and staff of color. Designed to be an opportunity for persons of color within the St. Andrew’s community to mix and mingle and begin to make new family ties, the event drew dozens of attendees, including alumni, students, and families from all divisions.
The BAC’s signature event, the HackBAC social justice hackathon, returned once again as a virtual event, this time taking place over the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend. The theme of this year’s HackBAC was “Creating More Racially Integrated and Equitable Experiences in Independent Schools that Promote Safety, Trust, Wellness, and Belonging.” Forty students, both international and domestic, participated in the HackBAC, and of those students, three St. Andrew’s students pitched solutions that were ultimately awarded grants.
Miles Hayter ’24 was a member of the first-place team, which proposed SafeZone, an online well-being hub for BIPOC students. In addition to an anonymous chat function that connects students with BIPOC peers as well as counselors and mentors, the online hub would offer tools such as calming music and guided meditations curated for students. To fund the endeavor, students proposed collaborating with BIPOC artists and auctioning NFTs of their work.
Tinuke Alarapon ’22 and Kieran Lamb ’22 were members of the third-place team, which proposed the Independent School Student Union, a national student-led organization that would support BIPOC student leaders as they advocate for systemic change at their schools. The ISSU would be structured with regional boards and school-based chapters, and provide individual students the opportunity to attend conferences like the Student Diversity Leadership Conference if their school is unable to cover their travel or lodging expenses.
In June, the BAC will host an event for families and faculty and staff of color to celebrate the end of the academic year, followed by the annual BAC FAMily Fundraiser. To stay up to date with the BAC’s programming, follow them on Instagram at @saesbac.
