Yesterday,
the Board of Trustees gathered for its annual retreat. It was a powerful day
focused upon the purposes and goals of our new cultural competency efforts. As
you might imagine, it was a topic that afforded us to think deeply about
Berwick’s culture while also considering important strategic initiatives for
the future. There were many powerful moments throughout the day, including
presentations from Berwick faculty and our Director of Cultural Competency,
Michael Buensuceso.
With all of
that said, I found the most impactful part of the day to be listening to three
of our Upper School students who spoke to their experiences of traveling to
the Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC) this past year. All of us,
in the audience, were struck by their openness, honesty, and courage in sharing
their experiences talking about hard issues around identity as well as their
experience on our campus. In some cases, this came from the perspective of what
it can be like to be a student of color at Berwick Academy. As Head of School,
it is always so exciting to see how our trustees respond to student voices. The
questions and overall tenor of engagement revealed such a level of empathy and
a commitment to our mission. It was certainly a proud moment for me on all
sides.
I could not
help but reflect upon a few things. First of all, it would have been impossible
for me to conceive of presenting on such a topic to a Board of Trustees as a
high school student. As friendly and supportive as our Board may be, it is an
intimidating experience to speak in front of such a gathering. My second
thought was how proud I was of the way our students must have represented our
school at a national summit of student leaders talking about race and identity.
Their sense of balance and perspective seemed to reflect the very values we
espouse as an institution.
I know that
we are not perfect as a school, but I left the experience yesterday reminded
that we have exceptional faculty and trustees – but especially students. I know
that by continuing to listen to them, our school will be able to evolve into
the strongest possible community it can be.
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