Diversity

Flags from many countries flapped in the breeze along Carr Road as groups of boys all over campus, from the garden to the gym, the stage to the art studio, the music room to the MPR, learned about other cultures by practicing yoga and capoeira, a Brazilian martial art; playing cricket; constructing Japanese Bunraku puppets; creating Inuksuk, stone landmarks made by the people of the Arctic; learning about the history and customs of the Wampanoag Native Americans; sampling Cambodian and Mongolian food; turning rice and vegetables into sushi, and flour and potatoes into latkes; tap-dancing, Indian dancing, salsa dancing, and African dancing; and participating in many more activities.

Twenty-five boys attended the AISNE Middle School Diversity Conference held at the Winsor School in Boston earlier this month. The event is designed to help students better understand themselves and their peers through reflection, dialogue, and exposure to different cultures.

“Are you willing to stand for something special? To be part of a community where we don’t call people names, tease them, or bully them? Will you respect and love each other?”

“Yes!” shouted some 300 students who answered civic, community, and non-profit leader Robert Lewis Jr.’s call to service during an assembly about socio-economic diversity on March 29th. Lewis’s appearance was part of a Respecting Differences program that began on Thursday with a presentation during All School Meeting by faculty member Elizabeth Updike Cobblah.