Click the image or read below for an update on our
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts at Bolles.
As we approach Winter Break, I wanted to update you on our ongoing and upcoming initiatives in the area of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). This is timely and significant work for the Bolles Community, and it is an important area of emphasis in our next Strategic Plan. At Bolles, we constantly are pursuing excellence in all areas and DEI is no exception. I trust that each of you will join us as we collectively seek to make Bolles better each and every day.
We retained an outside consultant to assist us in anchoring our current and future DEI efforts. This confidential review is just one part of our multi-faceted approach which also includes dedicated school wide work with Dr. Derrick Gay, Charlene Taylor Hill, OneJax, climate surveys, and many other groups and programs. I have briefed school leadership on the review, and we will use a variety of approaches to involve our students, faculty and staff, alumni and parents as we push forward with courageous conversations, training, and education. I am so appreciative of the good work that Twyla Ashman and her team have accomplish already. I invited her to share some of the highlights with you.
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Remarks from Twyla Ashman:
As we approach our break I thought the time was perfect to give an update on where we are with our diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
If you read the DEI newsletter then you may be aware of the many things we’ve already held this school year such as the middle school DEI in-service day where we worked with school faculty and staff on understanding and recognizing our unconscious biases. We also participated in an activity around examining our individual and cultural roots.
We have started our work with Dr. Derrick Gay and have participated in two workshops with US/MS faculty and staff. Our second workshop with LS is planned after we return from the Thanksgiving break. In the first workshop we leveraged the Courageous Conversations protocol as a way to engage in difficult conversations informing of how we enter conversations. It is our hope that this will lead to a better experience of listening and learning from and about each other. Our second workshop included an understanding of the different forms of racism and how each may show up in our community and opportunities to reevaluate what we do and what we can change to make our community more inclusive.
We have held our first virtual meeting connecting our Black Student Union with members of the Black Bolles Alumni Group. This gives our Black students at Bolles another layer of support.
Also, this week our Student Diversity Committee is holding activities to celebrate International Education Week. Some of the activities are chalk art that displays how to say Hello, Love, and Peace in over 30 languages, our annual International Trivia Kahoot game, and a Zoom speaker panel where teachers, parents, and alumni will share their experiences in education and their career while living abroad.
In December we will send a group of US students to the NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference and when we return from the winter break we plan to begin discussions around our schoolwide curriculum review.
We have a lot of work ahead of us but with courage, integrity and compassion we can work together to make Bolles a more inclusive environment for all.
Thank you
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At the core of this exciting work is the goal to make the Bolles Community an example for other schools to emulate. We have much to be proud of as an institution, and I believe that this is another area where we can raise the bar for ourselves as well as others. Doing so will require commitment of time, resources, and energy (as well as patience) from all of us as we tackle one of the most significant challenges facing our school, community, nation, and world. Our Board Chair, Fernando Acosta-Rua and I are committed to a comprehensive process that emphasizes both short and long term goals along with measurable progress. This is not something that is solvable overnight, and we will not be shaken in our efforts. Bolles has a long tradition of evolving positively over time. From its origins as an all boys military school to a single sex college preparatory institution to moving to coeducation, Bolles has consistently changed over time for the better. Others may see Bolles as a static institution, but that is simply not the case.
I am excited about the direction we are heading and am proud of the steps we have already taken. Yes, there is work to be done. We are addressing issues that have existed for some time. But I firmly believe that the future is bright for all members of the community and not just a select group. Through our efforts, Bolles will be a place where all students can thrive and be the very best versions of themselves.
I have never sought to be solely a placeholder but rather seek to build upon the work of those who came before me and thereby leave Bolles positioned for sustained success and growth. Over the past year, we have learned a tremendous amount about our institution from many of you. Thank you for your love of Bolles and for participating in this ongoing process and important conversations. We have already become a more welcoming and inclusive community, and continuing to strengthen our culture will take everyone’s hard work.
Tyler Hodges
President and Head of School
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