Just Give Me Diversity!

I continue to be impressed by what our Middle School students learn, discuss, and co-create as part of the Student Diversity Committee, which is one of the electives available again this year to those in grades 6-8.

What does the SDC do?  What are their hopes for today and the future? 

This committee’s job is to help foster an environment where all students feel comfortable sharing their ideas and opinions, leading to better collaboration and productivity.  These innovative middle school leaders are encouraged to bring new perspectives and ideas to the SMOS school community in a way that creates safe conversations within the group to learn better problem-solving strategies and relationship-building for them as individuals and us as a community.  Our number one goal is to promote and establish an inclusive and welcoming environment for all students of diverse backgrounds, gifts, and abilities.

Last school year, the Student Diversity Committee addressed younger classes.  They took courageous roles in opening up the difficult conversation around bullying and offered helpful advice to their younger classmates.  They promoted the solution, “See something, say something,” modeling for all of us the opportunity to live as an “Upstander,” instead of a “Bystander.”

I am excited to work with this young group of leaders who will actively display what it is to be a diverse, and inclusive community!  Check out some fun we had last week on the playground mimicking a TikTok viral challenge – it was the students’ idea and they loved filming it!