The school officially confirmed the new diversity chair and faculty hiring requirements today. We actually pulled this off. Keep watching to ensure they move forward with the curriculum changes.
July 1, 2020
Final supporters
*By signing this petition, you are supporting the following statements:*
In light of the recent statement shared by St. Catherine's School in response to the protests and police brutality, this petition was created to urge the school to uphold the needs of their Black students and continue their commitment to diversity through actionable, strategic initiatives. We believe that the school must:
- Designate a director position whose sole focus is Diversity. The Chair of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion should also be a minority woman of color who can actually relate to and provide guidance for Black and non-Black students of color.
- Hire and actively retain more Black teachers and administrators to benefit both Black students who can see themselves within the faculty and non-Black students who can learn from staff with diverse backgrounds; especially in the Upper School where there are no Black teachers.
- Black students must have affinity groups, such as Unity, with institutional support and funding to provide Black students with the opportunity to share their experiences, form an understanding community, and grow in a space that is uniquely their own.
- Hold senior curriculum leaders accountable for incorporating Black authors and Black intellectual works into the main curriculum at all school levels to add a deeper dimension to their program, which currently only provides students with a limited opportunity to fully engage with Black thinkers in senior year English electives.
- Actively educate all students about privilege and institutional/systematic oppression, and create channels for Black and minority students to voice their concerns to the administration without retribution. The school must also hold the community accountable for racism and injustice from the student to the board level.
In the words of St. Catherine’s own motto “What we keep we lose, and only what we give remains our own.” #BlackLivesMatter
Updates
Reached 500 supporters
June 5, 2020
Reached 100 supporters
June 5, 2020
June 3, 2020
We are approaching 500 signatures. Keep pushing so we hit this goal today.
175 Comments
I went to this institution k-12, and I can honestly say that your history lessons failed me. I know there is a curriculum that needs to be followed but that does not mean that is the only information you're allowed give your students- do not whitewash history.
I have vivid memories of racism at St. Catherine's from my 13 years there, with no outlet for support within the school outside of my few fellow black students. These initiatives are a good start in terms of providing the support that was lacking and sorely needed when I was there.
As a parent of a lower school student, this needs to be implemented ASAP. I truly love St. Catherine's but I must make sure that my daughter is not impacted by the lack of programs for her whole body.
Do better STC. Don’t tell your black students “to just take it” or “to be the bigger person” in the face of racism. Don’t silence your students for the sake of donors. Don’t tell your students to value integrity while the school itself sacrifices its own.
Shuttling students of color to diversity conferences is nowhere near implementing anti-racist culture at STC, which is what's needed. Rhetoric around diversity and inclusion might bring Black and brown students in, but it does nothing to create a space for BIPOC students to thrive.
We have not come far enough for black students...they need the support of the whole community to be fully integrated into what has been a racist system.
I was class of '76, my mother was '40, and my grandmother, Margaret McGuire Gordon, went to Miss Jennies. .Please institute these changes in their memory. Thank you!
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The school officially confirmed the new diversity chair and faculty hiring requirements today. We actually pulled this off. Keep watching to ensure they move forward with the curriculum changes.
July 1, 2020
Final supporters
*By signing this petition, you are supporting the following statements:*
In light of the recent statement shared by St. Catherine's School in response to the protests and police brutality, this petition was created to urge the school to uphold the needs of their Black students and continue their commitment to diversity through actionable, strategic initiatives. We believe that the school must:
- Designate a director position whose sole focus is Diversity. The Chair of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion should also be a minority woman of color who can actually relate to and provide guidance for Black and non-Black students of color.
- Hire and actively retain more Black teachers and administrators to benefit both Black students who can see themselves within the faculty and non-Black students who can learn from staff with diverse backgrounds; especially in the Upper School where there are no Black teachers.
- Black students must have affinity groups, such as Unity, with institutional support and funding to provide Black students with the opportunity to share their experiences, form an understanding community, and grow in a space that is uniquely their own.
- Hold senior curriculum leaders accountable for incorporating Black authors and Black intellectual works into the main curriculum at all school levels to add a deeper dimension to their program, which currently only provides students with a limited opportunity to fully engage with Black thinkers in senior year English electives.
- Actively educate all students about privilege and institutional/systematic oppression, and create channels for Black and minority students to voice their concerns to the administration without retribution. The school must also hold the community accountable for racism and injustice from the student to the board level.
In the words of St. Catherine’s own motto “What we keep we lose, and only what we give remains our own.” #BlackLivesMatter
Updates
Reached 500 supporters
June 5, 2020
Reached 100 supporters
June 5, 2020
June 3, 2020
We are approaching 500 signatures. Keep pushing so we hit this goal today.
175 Comments
I stand by these initiatives 100%. I had no idea there were no black teachers in the upper school. A diverse faculty and curriculum will help prepare our girls for a future of leadership and strength in the world.
I went to this institution k-12, and I can honestly say that your history lessons failed me. I know there is a curriculum that needs to be followed but that does not mean that is the only information you're allowed give your students- do not whitewash history.
I have vivid memories of racism at St. Catherine's from my 13 years there, with no outlet for support within the school outside of my few fellow black students. These initiatives are a good start in terms of providing the support that was lacking and sorely needed when I was there.
As a parent of a lower school student, this needs to be implemented ASAP. I truly love St. Catherine's but I must make sure that my daughter is not impacted by the lack of programs for her whole body.
Do better STC. Don’t tell your black students “to just take it” or “to be the bigger person” in the face of racism. Don’t silence your students for the sake of donors. Don’t tell your students to value integrity while the school itself sacrifices its own.
Shuttling students of color to diversity conferences is nowhere near implementing anti-racist culture at STC, which is what's needed. Rhetoric around diversity and inclusion might bring Black and brown students in, but it does nothing to create a space for BIPOC students to thrive.
We have not come far enough for black students...they need the support of the whole community to be fully integrated into what has been a racist system.
I was class of '76, my mother was '40, and my grandmother, Margaret McGuire Gordon, went to Miss Jennies. .Please institute these changes in their memory. Thank you!
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I stand by these initiatives 100%. I had no idea there were no black teachers in the upper school. A diverse faculty and curriculum will help prepare our girls for a future of leadership and strength in the world.