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Spotlight on DEI in Upper School Classrooms

Spanish
Students in Kristin Shipler’s Spanish class discussed two Latines who followed the methods of Dr. Martin Luther King’s non-violent activism: Cesar Chaves and Lolores Huerta. After a discussion, students completed drawings representing the iconic activists’ values that resonated most with each individual student.

In Maria Antoine’s Honors Spanish 5 class, Director of Choirs Carlos Casilla visited to discuss Colorism in the Dominican Republic and his experience as a Hispanic man of color in the U.S. In the discussion-based class, students asked Mr. Casilla questions and discussed racial inequality in Spanish speaking countries and the U.S.

In Heather Riley’s Spanish 3 class, students are investigating the goals for sustainable development and presenting to classmates on specific goals as if they are members of a Spanish-speaking caucus at the Sustainability Leadership Conference. In Mrs. Riley’s Spanish 5 class, students are investigating human rights issues and violations in Spanish-speaking countries and creating a children’s book in Spanish entitled, “If I Had a Country.” 

Macroeconomics
Twelfth grade students in Joachim Rebholz Macroeconomics class engaged in a formal debate in response to the statement: “In order to reduce income inequality, college should be free for everyone.”
 
French
In Julie Reil’s French III class, students listen to and sing songs by popular French artists with African origins. For instance, the song, “Black M, Je suis chez moi” by Guinean Alpha Diallo, who goes by the name “Black M,” explores the notion of being “too dark” to be French and the dynamics of being in an interracial relationship. 
 
History 
In Kate Gillin’s Women’s History class, students studied Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to the U.S. Congress and the first Black woman to run for the presidential nomination from a major party. Dr. Gillin shares that Shirley Chisholm has many new fans! Additionally, in her Honors History course, students are participating in a Harkness Discussion on the limitations of the Progressive movement with regard to race, class, and gender, with a particular focus on Black leadership in the early 20th century.
 
Science
In Elizabeth Zodda’s Science & the Citizen course, students have been exploring social justice issues in STEM using the tools of science, including data analysis, hypothesis creation, and investigation. Engaging with the Underrepresentation Curriculum, the class has critically examined the effects of racism in scientific fields. As their civic action, students created posters highlighting current Black physicists. The posters will be displayed in Mrs. Zodda’s classroom for ninth grade physics students to interact with.
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The Shipley School is a private, coeducational day school for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students, located in Bryn Mawr, PA. Through our commitment to educational excellence, we develop within each student a love of learning and a desire for compassionate participation in the world.