作为艺术的一部分 & Social Change class’ 社区 Art projects this month, two 上学校ers decided to focus on 中学 students for a Diversity, 股本, 包容, 和 Belonging (DEIB) 社区 Mosaic workshop.

麦卡·莫德斯特，23岁 和 Ian Frempong-Boadu, 26岁 led the 社区 Mosaic event on December 7 in the Art Studios. The 中学 students were asked in advance to bring a cultural item or a picture of it to school. Modeste explained that a 社区 Mosaic is “artwork that relies on engagement from different people. Each person provides a small part of themselves 和 their culture.”

“In our 中学 DEIB Team planning,” said Arnelle威廉姆斯, 英语教师兼MS DEIB协调员, “we were interested in doing a community event before Winter Break that will culminate students’ underst和ing of DEIB so far in the semester. I believed having a h和s-on arts experience about identity would be a great way for students to put some action behind ongoing discussions about identity in their affinity/alliance or DEIB discussion groups.”

“Not only is it extremely important for them [中学 students] to learn that their individual identity 和 personality is important,弗雷蓬-博杜说, ，但也应该庆祝. We were most surprised by the number of kids that actually showed up 和 how willing 和 eager they were to share their special item. It was very heartwarming 和 an honest peek into the life of a teacher. We are mostly just happy that we were able to do this activity 和 we would definitely do it again.”

创造他们的身份片段

Students sat at tables in the Art Studio 和 then Modeste 和 Frempong-Boadu distributed index cards to them. Before they began on their mosaic pieces, students took turns sharing what item they had brought 和 what 它的文化意义 was. Items included necklaces, a goalie’s glove, a gr和mother’s pendant, eyeglasses, 和 a soccer ball. 还有一些是圣诞树的图片, 烛台, 美国国旗, 还有一块爷爷的怀表.

Students drew pictures of their items, which will become part of the mosaic. For a student who plays left wing on a hockey team, it was a picture of crossed hockey sticks. 为他人, it was a decorated Christmas tree or a menorah, 红包, 或者是姐妹做的手镯.

在索引卡的内衬上, students wrote down the item they had chosen, 它的文化意义, 以及与物品相关的记忆. 除了, they wrote how they would like others to perceive the item 和 how it should be represented in society.

A student said that he had drawn a sparkler like one used in the Hindu Festival of Light, Diwali. Another held up 红包 like the one that young people receive with money during Lunar New Year celebrations. An eighth grader held a soccer ball that was important to him. Another child explained that his item was a pendant featuring the image of a Mayan god, 是属于他祖母的吗. A child who chose a pocket watch wrote, “The item is my great gr和father’s pocket watch. The watch has been passed down for many years. It is significant to me because I will be the next one to get it.”

Modeste explained that the index card pictures will be assembled 和 displayed in the library. “Once we zoom out 和 look at the larger picture, we will have made community art.”

项目结束后

“伊恩是我八年级的导师,威廉姆斯后来说, “so to see him take on such a leadership role – teaching 中学 students how to make a community mosaic from the viewpoint of their identity was amazing! I’ve gotten to know Myka through other teachers 和 her enthusiasm was infectious. It’s not every day that 中学 和 上学校 students come together academically or socially, 所以这对搭档很特别. I think a blended 中学 和 上学校 is truly about partnership – intentionally inhabiting the same space with each other 和 learning  from each other, so what Ian 和 Myka did was both affirming 和 inspiring. Affirming that students do grow into awesome leaders when especially nurtured, 和 inspiring because students continue to teach adults daily how to be vulnerable 和 take risks in front of others to make positive change.”

“I hope that 中学 students took away that learning about DEIB is about learning about yourself, 和 you don’t have to do that learning process alone,威廉姆斯说, “这可以在社区中完成, where you feel like you belong 和 there is great leadership. After speaking with the DEIB discussion leaders who were there 和 the affinity/alliance leaders who did the same activity in their regular meeting space,  a recurring theme I heard is that students were excited to share who they are to each other. Sharing in an environment of belonging inspires even the most ‘unlikeliest’ of kids to reveal who they are also.”