Skip to main content

Saint David's Participates in Diversity and Inclusion Conference at Dalton

Saint David's is committed to fostering an inclusive environment that respects and honors difference. Toward that end, a group of Saint David's community members recently participated in the 9th Annual Dalton Conference: From Diversity to Community.

Some of the Saint David's participants in the Diversity and Inclusion Conference.
From left: Pedro Morales, Michael A., Romuel P., Allison Vella, and Jessica Pagan.

The daylong program educates and trains school leadership to broaden and improve inclusion within the diverse communities of New York City's independent schools. This year's conference addressed the topic of implicit bias.

Each attending school sent a "pod" of participants from various constituent groups to the conference. Saint David's pod included Todd Cosenza and Don MacKinnon (Trustees), Allison Vella and Kim Davidson (Admissions), Romuel P. and Michael A. (Students), Lindsay Buhr and Evan Morse (Faculty), Pedro Morales and Jessica Pagan (Administration) and Kumar Kadiyala, Miguel Sanchez '97, and Will O'Boyle '94 (Parents and Alumni).

Following an inspiring and engaging talk by keynote speaker Jerry Kang, constituent groups met in breakaway sessions with their peers from other schools, sharing challenges and best practices related to the theme, before coming together to discuss where implicit bias may exist within themselves and in our school.

The group came away with actionable take-aways that we will address in a variety of areas of school life including curricular.  A significant one was the recognition that, while implicit bias is hard to change, awareness is important and the best way to counteract it is through our interactions and relationships with others who are different from ourselves.

This conference theme dovetailed perfectly with what we've been doing at Saint David's through our partnership with Dr. Derrick Gay and in our Committee on Community and Inclusion (COCI).  Earlier in the year, parents and faculty/staff participated in workshops based on the book Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People (Banji and Greenwald), which deals specifically with the ubiquity of implicit bias. 
Thank you to all of Saint David's participants for dedicating themselves to this important school initiative. Through our ongoing work with Dr. Gay, the various COCI and Boys Community Club activities and participation in the Dalton Conference, we continue to make strides in embracing difference in all of its manifestations. New York City has always benefited from the mosaic of its citizenry. As a school in this great city, and in line with the values of our school's mission, Saint David's is dedicated to advancing an ever-more inclusive, welcoming community.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NE Patriot Tom Brady at Saint David’s

Last night, Saint David’s was honored to have one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, four time Superbowl champion and three-time MVP winner Tom Brady, as the guest speaker for our Alumni Parents Council Lecture Series. Tom, who is the father of one of our Saint David's boys, addressed a standing-room-only audience in Hyman Hall comprised of our eighth graders, alumni, alumni parents and faculty. Friendly, introspective, witty, and wise, he directed his talk to the delighted eighth graders in the front of the room, and focused on the topic of leadership. “You are the young men and leaders of Saint David’s,” he noted. Tom debunked the perception that leaders are born not made, and credited his leadership abilities to “standing up to and facing fears” and to “cultivating a mental strength,” which he cited as “more important than being physically strong.” He also stressed the importance of working hard, honoring teamwork, believing in oneself and being a good lis...
Post a Comment
Read more

"Lord of the Flies" Survival Game

Seventh graders are immersed in an "island survival" adventure related to their study of William Golding's 1954 classic Lord of the Flies . The novel tells the story of a group of school-age boys marooned on an uninhabited island, where they struggle to survive without a government or rules. In this creative, unique activity that spans 10 class sessions, our boys are assigned to belong to one of two "tribes." Using knowledge gained from history classes in the fall, they first determine what type of government system to adopt. During the simulations, they strategize methods to overcome obstacles and acquire resources such as wood, food, shelter, and water. The simulation requires the boys to negotiate, debate, and reflect critically on their decisions as they face challenges to their survival. In journals, they regularly write about their thinking, their decisions and consequences. Writing skills are further developed and honed. In addition to analy...
Post a Comment
Read more

Digital Universe Unit With AMNH-Hayden Planetarium Kicks Off

The second year of our unique partnership with the American Museum of Natural History-Hayden Planetarium kicked off on Friday when the sixth grade had their first session of the Digital Universe unit. The session included a private viewing at the planetarium in which boys were able to explore the entire universe. They and their teachers were invited to view the show from the vantage point of the floor in the center of the round theater, staring up into the apex of the dome. What an amazing perspective! Museum educator and astro-visualization expert Nathan Belomy took the boys on a tour of the observable universe, allowing them to get a feel for the scale of distance and size in the universe. In a fun activity related to scale, the boys set down  a volleyball (representing the sun) at 79th Street, and walked for blocks down Columbus avenue with the planets in our solar system represented by a variety of smaller objects – a cupcake sprinkle, a marble – predicting and then m...
Post a Comment
Read more