Next steps: how we are supporting our community

Head of School Kim Samson

Dear Upper School Students and Families,

This morning we had an Upper School meeting where Delonte Egwuatu, Kader Adjout, and Rick Wilson presented the framework for and details on how we will approach our community discourse about the Israel-Hamas War—an approach that addresses matters of the heart, engages our intellect, and provides opportunities for action.

We know these are difficult times; the impact on the community is palpable and emotions are high. In times of crisis, people express their thoughts through different means and mediums—both online and off. This is why it is essential we reiterate the importance of respect and civil discourse, no matter what our beliefs and opinions are.

As you may have heard, on Wednesday anonymous notes were placed around the school. The notes were humanitarian in tone, and expressed political opinions and concerns about the deaths of civilians in Gaza and other violence happening in the world. We have looked into the situation and while the intention of these notes was to spark dialogue, the impact was that it triggered anxiety and difficult emotions in some students. Unless they are part of a purposeful exercise to facilitate discussion, anonymous notes, in which statements are left unowned, are disconcerting and can be alarming. For this reason, we took the notes down.

Beyond the notes, we are looking at how our students can express themselves in safe, respectful settings. I shared with students that being open to dialogue is a critical part of being a member of our community and that we also must take responsibility for what we say and do in order to have such dialogue.

As part of their work, Mr. Adjout, Mr. Egwuatu, and Dr. Wilson are continuing to create spaces for this dialogue, and specifically today, students were invited to engage in conversations after US meeting; several stayed and participated. You can read more about what was shared at the full meeting below.

I am thankful for your continued partnership and support in our work.

With gratitude,

Kim Samson

Head of School

THE WORK

SUPPORTING OUR COMMUNITY

At Beaver, we lead with heart, connect with intellect, and go forward with action.

This is the framework on how we approach our work in any crisis, and it allows us to:

Address the needs of our students and faculty/staff
Learn about the complexities of the issue
Provide space for difficult conversations
Speak, listen, and agree to disagree

But how do we do this as a community? We ...

Work with speakers and experts to equip us with the skills to navigate these courageous conversations;
Learn more about the conflict;
Understand the impact of our words and actions on others, especially on social media.

OUR NEXT STEPS

SPEAKER SERIES

Having difficult conversations is difficult. It is not something we can simply dive into but rather we need to be taught how to have these conversations.

To help give our students the tools they need to address their emotions, beliefs, and opinions—and go forward with action—we are launching a speaker series after Thanksgiving break. These experts will not lecture our students on the current conflict but rather lead conversations around:

Conflict resolution and courageous conversations
Asking questions about the current conflict
The impact of our words—on social media and other communications—on others.

ENGAGING IN COURAGEOUS CONVERSATIONS

We are also working with students to create more spaces to engage in these dialogues on campus. We know this work is ongoing; it will not be "done" after a term or two.

In an uncertain world, in any crisis, there is pressure to take a side from all sides, so it's crucial we learn how to express ourselves and see the complexities and multiple perspectives of a topic; there are many ways and multiple truths.

The image below is a guide students can reference when looking to engage in these types of conversations and questions to ask themselves.

What beliefs and values of right and wrong do I have?
What influences those beliefs and values?
What are you feeling? What is causing those emotions?
What questions come to mind?
What sense are you trying to make?
What are you feeling compelled to do?

It is important to keep our humanity, dignity, and respect for others when we are having courageous conversations.

That should always be at the core of all we do.

Kader Adjout

Director of Teaching, Learning, and Innovation

Delonte Egwuatu

Chief Engagement and Inclusion Officer

Rick Wilson

Director of Counseling, Health, and Wellness