diversity

Essex Tech Receives $750 Grant from Foundation Trust

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Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School
Dr. Heidi T. Riccio, Superintendent
565 Maple Street
Hathorne, MA 01937

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019

Contact: Kelsey Bode
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Essex Tech Receives $750 Grant from Foundation Trust

DANVERS — Superintendent Heidi Riccio is pleased to announce that Essex Tech has been awarded a $750 grant from the Foundation Trust to support efforts to increase diversity awareness.

The $750 grant will support the school’s Cultural Awareness Collective, a group of students at Essex Tech who work to educate faculty, staff and students to respect the differences between various cultures and promote acceptance and inclusion. Approximately 40 students are involved in the club, with 15 students actively attending each weekly meeting.

“We’re thrilled to have been awarded this funding from the Foundation Trust, which will support the vision and work of our Cultural Awareness Collective,” Superintendent Riccio said. “Cultivating a school community that recognizes and celebrates diversity and is sensitive to multicultural concerns is critical for supporting all of our students and preparing them to be thoughtful, considerate and informed citizens.”

A small group of students came together to form the Cultural Awareness Collective approximately two years ago, and since then have worked together to educate Essex Tech staff and students about diversity and sensitivity. Members of the group have provided professional development to faculty during in-service days to raise awareness of cultural sensitivity and proficiency. The students are also working to grow the Cultural Awareness Collective, and continue to welcome new members to their organization.

Thanks to the grant funding, the group will be working together to develop a service project that benefits the community at large.

“The Cultural Awareness Collective is undertaking important work to foster an inclusive atmosphere at ENSATS. The Foundation Trust is proud to support their efforts to advance kindness and understanding,” said Lauren Liecau, Manager of Outreach and Development at the Foundation Trust.

The Foundation Trust 

The Foundation Trust is a private philanthropic foundation serving Greater Boston. In supporting the important work of small to medium-sized nonprofit organizations, the Foundation Trust strives to enhance individual well-being and community development.  Learn more at www.FoundationTrust.org

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Rockland’s Esten School to Celebrate Student Culture at First-Ever Diversity Fair

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Rockland Public Schools
Superintendent Dr. Alan Cron
34 MacKinlay Way,
Rockland, MA 02370

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2019

Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: [email protected]

Rockland’s Esten School to Celebrate Student Culture at First-Ever Diversity Fair

ROCKLAND — Principal Marilyn Smith is pleased to announce that the R. Stewart Esten Elementary School will be holding its first-ever Diversity Fair on Monday, Oct. 21, as part of the school’s programming for Global Diversity and Awareness Month.

The event will take place in the gymnasium during the school day for students and at 6 p.m. for students and their families.

“Though the majority of our students are multi-generation Americans, our school community is also represented by 21 different countries,” said Principal Smith. “Our students speak many different languages, having parents born in a variety of foreign countries. The Diversity Fair will be a celebration of the cultural, educational and social diversity of our students and their families.”

As part of the fair, students and their parents will have the opportunity to share information about the countries they are from, as well as their family dynamic.

Students will be bringing in flags of their native countries to be hung up in the gym, will make displays with photos from their home and will be coloring fish of different colors to show off at the event.

“The colorful fish will be displayed to promote the idea that even though we’re all different fish, we all swim in the same pool,” Principal Smith said. “We also hope to showcase Cape Verdean dancers, food from different countries and look forward to parents showing off their native clothing.”

Principal Smith said the Diversity Fair fits in well with the school’s overall goal of tolerance and acceptance of all students.

“We participate in the Safe Schools program to help protect and advocate for our LGBTQ population, and we routinely take part in trauma training,” Principal Smith said. “We also embrace the many different learning styles of our students. The Diversity Fair will be a chance not only to highlight the different cultures of our students, but to capture their other diverse strengths as well.”

Several students and their families have already confirmed participation in the Diversity Fair, and Principal Smith said she will be reaching out more families this week as well.

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Oyster River Cooperative School District to Conduct Training on Diversity and Inclusion with Andrew C. Smith

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Oyster River Cooperative School District
SAU No. 5
Superintendent James Morse
36 Coe Drive
Durham, NH 03824

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Oyster River Cooperative School District to Conduct Training on Diversity and Inclusion with Andrew C. Smith

New Hampshire Disproportionate Minority Contact Coordinator working Directly with District

DURHAM — Oyster River Cooperative School District Superintendent James Morse reports that the district is working with Andrew C. Smith, the state’s Disproportionate Minority Contact Coordinator, to conduct employee training on diversity and inclusion for the upcoming school year.

The goal is to have 100 percent of all district faculty, staff, and administrators participate in the valuable sessions conducted by Smith.

Smith has been the New Hampshire State DMC Coordinator since 2011. He has 25 years of experience as an Independent Management Consultant specializing in Diversity and Inclusion, Leadership Development, Change Management and Cultural Transformation. He also works with high level clients including the Department of Homeland Security, Amtrak, and the St. Louis Police Department.

“Andrew Smith brings years of experience and expertise to bear. The state relies on him as a resource on diversity and inclusion, and we are very fortunate to have him in our schools, working directly with our staff,” Superintendent Morse said.

“In times of stress and crisis, Americans have always worked together based on freedom, equality, justice and humanity,” Smith said. “This is one of those times and we will prevail again.”

Two incidents at the start of the school year caused Superintendent Morse to reexamine the district’s approach to multicultural diversity and respect for others. The school district is also planning a multicultural forum and is conducting a review of its curriculum, policies and procedures regarding how members of the community treat each other. The district is also consulting with the NAACP to assist in improving the district’s approach to diversity. The goal of the forum is to improve the district’s approach to diversity.

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Statement of Reading Town Officials Regarding Swastika Incidents at Reading Memorial High School

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For Immediate Release

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Statement of Reading Town Officials Regarding Swastika Incidents at Reading Memorial High School

READING — Town Manager Robert W. LeLacheur, Jr., Police Chief Mark D. Segalla, and Superintendent of Schools Dr. John F Doherty report that the Town of Reading is responding swiftly and aggressively after two incidents of swastika graffiti were reported at the Reading Memorial High School in the month of May.

On May 4, students noticed a swastika drawn in blue permanent marker on a classroom floor. The incident was reported to the Reading Police Department and is under investigation.

On the evening of Wednesday, May 24, Reading Police were once again called to investigate a report of a swastika found at the High School. This time, police found a swastika and other graffiti drawn in pen on a cinder block wall of a bathroom in the High School Field House. That incident is also under investigation.

School officials sent a message home to families after the first incident, but this has prompted a larger discussion in town about how people treat each other and how to continuously foster a culture of respect not just in the Reading Public Schools but throughout the community.

“As leaders in the Town of Reading, we are committed to ridding our community of hate and hateful speech,” Chief Segalla said. “That means we need to come together and have uncomfortable discussions about how we treat each other and what words and symbols really mean. Does the average teenager truly understand the hate and violence associated with a swastika? Perhaps not, but it is incumbent upon us to teach them.”

The Town of Reading has an existing relationship with the New England Chapter of the Anti-Defamation League and will be utilizing its vast resources and expertise in responding to these recent messages of hate and intolerance. 

“We cannot simply write these acts off as isolated incidents. When we ignore hate, it grows,” Superintendent Doherty said. “And while we have reached out to our police department to investigate these incidents, it is not enough for us to identify and punish those responsible. As a school district, we accept that we have a responsibility to dig deeper and teach our children about the topics of hate, racism, and fear. We will continue to use these situations as teachable moments for our students.”

The town has also begun reaching out to local clergy, including an area rabbi, priest, minister, and other members of the religious community to lead a public forum, which will be held in the near future. 

“Our police department, schools, and town officers are wholly committed to creating an atmosphere of acceptance in Reading,” Town Manager LeLacheur said. “Our community is healthiest and is at its best when everyone living, working, and visiting Reading feels safe, secure, and included.”

Nationally, hate speech incidents and acts of Antisemitism have been on the rise recently.

“The Reading Police Department is committed to the safety of all people, regardless of race, religion, gender, age, or any other demographic,” Chief Segalla said. “This is the beginning of a dialog, and while we are committed to investigating these hateful acts, we all are better served if we can also prevent such acts from occurring in the future.”

Additional information, including dates, times, and locations of events, will follow.

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