By Shanelle Henry
Director of Equity & Inclusion
Just like during the civil rights movement, or any other movement in this country, there are women, often women of color, behind it all, pushing the moral conscience of our country to do better.
By Shanelle Henry
Director of Equity & Inclusion
Just like during the civil rights movement, or any other movement in this country, there are women, often women of color, behind it all, pushing the moral conscience of our country to do better.
By Ben Gott & Jennifer Ferreira
Equity & Inclusion Team
As a part of this year's Middle School Martin Luther King Jr. Assembly, four seventh graders shared their thoughts on the significance of Dr. King and his teachings:
I am so excited to be a member of this community! I feel privileged to work in a PreK–12 educational environment where our students are urged to explore their place in — and potential impact on — the world. Our mission calls upon us to prepare students for a life of purpose. This can (and should) be defined in many different ways, and that compels us to continue to do no less than our very best to maintain our commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive community that values the identities, perspectives, and experiences of all its members. Our motto, “Each For All,” demands nothing less.
One of the most critical elements of equity work in schools is strong and courageous leadership. The charge of shepherding a school’s equity and inclusion efforts is both complex and rewarding. It is my aim to ensure that all constituencies on campus, from our youngest learners to our most tenured faculty and staff, have an opportunity to be part of the voice and structure of what makes GFA unique. GFA is home to thousands of stories, and those stories — and the voices that tell them — make us strong.
We are writing the next chapter of what it means to be Greens Farms Academy.
Each for All.
Shanelle Henry,
Director of Equity and Inclusion
At Greens Farms Academy, we embrace, honor and affirm all members of our school community across race, age, gender identity and expression, ethnicity, family composition, ability/disability, learning styles, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and other characteristics that construct our unique identities. We seek to ensure that all aspects of school life — including curriculum, admission, retention, hiring practices, and support for students, families, and employees — reflect our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
GFA’s commitment to building and nurturing an inclusive community is core to our mission. We believe:
Listen to GFA Director of Equity and Inclusion Shanelle Henry discussing the Day After Election Guide on the podcast Third Space with Jen Cort:
Explore the Voices Multicultural Cookbook
If you would like your recipe added, please email it to voices@gfacademy.org.
Moving beyond healing to create affirming, joyful, and culturally centered learning environments for Black students.
This 1-day conference is designed to foster dialogue, share innovative solutions, and provide practical tools for ALL educators (teachers, administrators, DEIB practitioners, counselors, learning specialists, coaches and others) who seek knowledge and best practices for supporting Black students to thrive in independent schools.
Register to attend a series of workshops, hear from KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Dr. Daryl Howard, Maryland State Department of Education Task Force on Equity and Excellence for Black Boys, and end with a SPECIAL FIRESIDE CHAT WITH: Cole Brown, author, Greyboy: Finding Blackness in a White World and Kendra James, author, Admissions: A Memoir of Surviving Boarding School.
By Shanelle Henry
Director of Equity & Inclusion
Just like during the civil rights movement, or any other movement in this country, there are women, often women of color, behind it all, pushing the moral conscience of our country to do better.
By Ben Gott & Jennifer Ferreira
Equity & Inclusion Team
As a part of this year's Middle School Martin Luther King Jr. Assembly, four seventh graders shared their thoughts on the significance of Dr. King and his teachings:
two students wanted to turn one of the crosswalks at GFA into a rainbow, hoping to make a clear statement that LGBTQ+ students are known and loved in this community.
By Shanelle Henry
Director of Equity and Inclusion
Just before winter break, GFA hosted an affinity event for Black families. On Sunday, December 5, more than 30 adults and children gathered in the McGrath Gallery to get to know one another, and share experiences and ideas to increase support for current and prospective Black families and students at GFA.
Director of Equity and Inclusion Shanelle Henry discusses education and action surrounding Transgender Awareness Week.
GFA Voices / Diversidad de Voces is an annual celebration honoring our diverse, multicultural community — past and present. Watch the full event and explore the new Voices Virtual Cookbook.
Science Department Chair Jim Serach examines his upbringing with regard to attitudes about race. Click below to hear his Friday Speaker talk about his personal mission to become "woke."
In lieu of traditional Chinese New Year celebrations on campus, Middle School History and Mandarin teacher Tina Zhang gave the following lesson on the traditions and history behind the holiday.
By Ronaldo John
Faculty, World Languages
"I’ve had to break many barriers in an effort to connect and to make the best experiences for myself. Today I stand before you all ... hoping that I will inspire you all to embark upon this journey with me, to remove yourself from your comfort zone, to embrace the feeling of discomfort and use it as a steppingstone to engage in thoughtful conversations with your classmates, friends, and colleagues, black and white alike.”
By Ben Gott
MS English, Equity and Inclusion Coordinator
Traditionally, the third week in January has provided an opportunity for GFA students, faculty, and staff to come together as a community to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. However, the reality of COVID-19 meant that such large gatherings would be impossible this year—so the GFA Equity & Inclusion team decided to completely reinvent and reimagine our program for 2021.
In honor of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., students and faculty across all divisions took to virtual assemblies to honor his work through the themes of activism and empathy.
Kindergarten teacher Katie Mack and third-grade teacher Jennifer Ferreira
helped continue the conversation about identity in their classes, helping students better understand the Martin Luther King Day holiday, defining words including equal, fair, equity, race, racism, and advocate.
By Katherine Stidolph '21
LiveGirl is a Connecticut-based nonprofit organization that builds confident leaders who embrace diversity. Their mission is to empower and equip the next generation of brave, inclusive leaders with the skills, community, and connections so that ALL girls may thrive and make a positive impact on the world. This conversation series has been thoughtfully designed to engage students and their parents in racial justice advocacy.
Miss watching GFA Voices live? Watch the full virtual event below including performances and presentations from students across all three divisions, faculty, and alumni.
By Ben Gott
MS English, Equity and Inclusion Coordinator
My friend and colleague in the Middle School, Kathleen Nicholson, often talks about the fact that she refers to herself as a “middle school teacher,” not a “science teacher.” Though we all consider our subject matter to be an important part of the work we do each day, Middle School teachers often find ourselves engaging with students’ joys, concerns, problems, and successes as much as we find ourselves teaching them math, science, or English.
By Jenifer Bonilla ’22
Equity and inclusion, at this moment in time, is a topic that I would say is difficult to shy away from since it has become something integral to many people worldwide. During this time, I’ve come to realize the power of social media, and the strength of learning from one another.
By Shanelle Henry
Director of Equity and Inclusion
Eventually, the noise surrounding the heinous killings of George Floyd and others will subside; we will have a medical response to COVID-19; the unrest will cease, and life will resume back to normal. However, I don’t want to return to normal.
By Giavanna Bravo-Ibanez ’21
I boast about my 23andMe results. As we can assume, I am 100% Giavanna Bravo, yet seeing the bursts of color, representing the origins of my DNA on five continents has forced me to see my identity in a new light.
By Ben Gott
MS English, Equity & Inclusion Coordinator
Our commitment to equity and inclusion at GFA is not just about understanding what our students are going through today and what they will go through tomorrow. It must also involve an honest, complete reckoning of the ways in which our institution, and so many institutions like ours, worked against equity and inclusion in the past.