St. Clement’s School has long embraced the issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion and all were at the fore during the School’s recent Ally Weeks.
Spearheaded by SCS’s Diversity Student Committee and organized in collaboration with students from the Indigenous Affairs Circle, GSA, and Because I Am A Girl, activities for Ally Weeks were carefully chosen that would best offer ways to be an ally in our school community.
Ally Week began in the U.S. more than a decade ago as an opportunity to better understand the feelings and experiences of others and to provide support and friendship across racial, religious, sexual orientation, gender, or physical lines. By better understanding who we all are and the challenges we face, we are better able to offer support to one another.
The event coincided with the visit to St. Clement’s by LINCWell speaker and social psychologist Dr. Nilanjana Dasgupta and her presentations to students, staff, parents, and the greater SCS community. Allyship was addressed in the Junior School and in Homeforms, while informational posters were placed throughout the School.
On May 14, separate assemblies were held for the Junior and Senior Schools, with the latter dedicated to a panel forum of students, alum, and parents reflecting on just what their identity means to them, the challenges they have faced and continue to face, and their personal meanings of allyship.
By the end of the event, Ally Weeks proved to be an enlightening celebration of the School’s diversity and the bonds that bring so many within the St. Clement’s community together.
