Westover High School celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a community in order to emphasize values of inclusive growth, progress, and community service, all that Dr. King stood for. This was a meaningful way to reflect on his legacy while offering students learning lessons that they could connect with and appreciate throughout the day. 

Keynote speaker Pia Furkan ‘12 spoke to our community about accountability, privilege, and self-reflective work. Pia spoke strongly stating, “It is our job as educators to engage ideas of ethics and morality and facilitate this exploration amongst our students in every class taught”.

Alana Granisky, Director of the Rasin Center for Global Justice stressed this as well, expressing,  “We must make sure that the curriculum that we teach, what we chose to spend our time absorbing and discussing allow us to understand and value of the diversity of the world we live in''. 

 

The sense of belonging is a vital social component and making sure our campus embodies that is something that Westover continually seeks feedback on. Shamair Todman, Director of Academic Services stated, “Representation is important throughout our school, amongst students and educators… Structural racism and lack of representation in schools often keep Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) from experiencing the sense of belonging and recognition that every student deserves”. 

Together, we must continually educate ourselves, listen, accept feedback even when it’s difficult, and find ways to be supportive. Hadley Zeavin, Chief Strategic Inclusion Officer further explained, “One thing that is quite challenging is that our mission and values is to make an inclusive space out of one that is designed to be exclusive. It is important to continually pursue the right perspectives and use adaptability to meet the needs of everyone while also enhancing learning experiences for all”.  One of our roles as a whole is to emphasize the importance of having actively engaging conversations that bring forward these issues of injustice. This day of remembrance and celebration is an opportunity to come together to reflect on what it means to continue the legacy Dr. King left behind, inspiring each of us to challenge ourselves to improve our community and beyond.