DEB Newsletter
Volume 1
November, 2020
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All About Celebrating Diwali.
Diwali, the festival of lights, is one of the biggest holidays in India. It falls on the New Moon day in Kartik, the first and holiest month of the Hindu lunar year (October / November). In India, the week of Diwali is a time for renewal - deep cleaning and painting your home, buying new kitchen/household goods, and clothes. It is a time for big celebrations; homes and businesses are decorated with lights, the shops are overflowing with enticing products, large delicious meals are cooked to be shared with family and friends, and gifts (typically sweets, nuts, silver, and gold objects) are exchanged. As kids, we looked forward to wearing our new clothes and lighting fireworks after the pooja (prayers) and dinner was done. The lights in the home are left on all night, so Laxmi and Ganesh can find their way in to bless you with wealth, success, and an auspicious year ahead.
Photo: Gauri M. (left), seventh-grader, and her sister.
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Did You Know?
DEB’s logo was created by a seventh-grader! Carina’s art has been exhibited at One River art school in Evanston and last spring, her design was chosen to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Kenilworth’s Memorial Day parade. Influenced by street art and traditional comic design, she customizes footwear and clothing. Carina enjoys Japanese anime, skateboarding, soccer, and playing “Among Us” with friends. After graduating from art school, she hopes to work on high profile art installations as well as collaborations with fashion designers.
Photo: Carina B., seventh-grader.
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It is Transgender Awareness Week! |
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Please join us in recognizing Transgender Awareness Week. Transgender Awareness Week occurs each year between November 13-19. During this time, transgender people and allies work to bring visibility to the transgender community and awareness of the issues they routinely face. The week culminates in the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20. This day is observed in remembrance of those who have lost their lives to anti-transgender violence. If you would like to learn more about Transgender Awareness Week and the Transgender Day of Remembrance, here are some resources to get you started:
On Social media, follow the hashtags #transweek, #transawarenessweek, and #TDOR.
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The Nora Project.
The Nora Project’s curriculum allows children to explore disability, adaptation, and friendship in exciting and innovative ways. Through The Nora Project programming, students learn to “practice empathy, exercise moral courage, and recognize the fundamental truth that as human beings, we are all more alike than different.” The Nora Project first came to Sears School in 2018, with second-grade teachers introducing the program to their students. In 2019, both second and fourth-grade students participated, and now, in 2020, three grade levels (K, second, and fourth) are teaching The Nora Project curriculum. These grade level offerings are in alignment with the current programming offered by The Nora Project.
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National Hispanic Heritage month is observed from September 15 to October 15 and is a celebration of the cultures and history of people whose ancestors come from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. It provides an opportunity to learn about and pay tribute to Hispanic Americans who have enriched and contributed to all spheres of American life. |
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One such person is Manuel Molina who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1995 for his work in atmospheric chemistry and the decomposition of the ozone layer. In 2013, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his contributions to environmental science. |
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Event we are excited about:
FAN Event
Glory: Magical Visions of Black Beauty
With stunning images of natural hair and gorgeous, inventive visual storytelling, Glory: Magical Vision of Black Beauty, a photography book from Regis and Kahran Bethencourt, the dynamic husband-and-wife duo behind CreativeSoul Photography, puts Black beauty front and center with more than 100 breathtaking photographs and a collection of powerful essays about the children. At its heart, it is a recognition and celebration of the versatility and innate beauty of Black hair and Black beauty.
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What we are reading:
Blind Spot
Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald are co-developers of the Implicit Association Test, a method that transformed them, their research, and their field of inquiry. In this book, for the first time, research evidence from their labs and from the more than fourteen million completed tests at implicit.harvard.edu is made available to the general reader.
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What we are watching:
Tell Me More with Kelly Corrigan
featuring Bryan Stevenson
In the midst of America’s racial reckoning, this program provides inspiration from Bryan Stevenson, one of the country’s leading advocates for racial reconciliation, on what motivates him to continue the work toward justice.
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Quote that we Love:
"If your child marches to a different beat, a different drummer, you just have to go along with that music. Help them achieve what’s important to them."
– Justice Sonya Sotomayor
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In February 2019, members of the JSSPVA met with the Joseph Sears School Administration to encourage richer dialogues and augmented programming around diversity, equity, and belonging in our school community. In response to this request, the JSSPVA and the administration co-created the DEB committee in August 2019 with monthly meetings beginning in November 2019. The committee is made up of parents, faculty, administration, socio-emotional learning team leads, and a school board member representative. This unique collaboration amongst school and community stakeholders allows for diverse perspectives on the committee and in the school house. |
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The Joseph Sears School DEB Committee
Faculty/Staff Committee Members
Nancy Economou, Social Worker
Hilary Harvey, Social-Emotional Learning Facilitator
Jennifer Arra, Fourth-Grade Teacher
Robert Drewry, ELA Teacher
Myra Love, Student Services
Laura Romisher, Eighth-Grade Math Teacher
Toula Sideris, Third-Grade Teacher
Daphna Stepen, Sixth-Grade ELA Teacher
Parent Committee Members:
Kathy Ambrosino, Shawn Bard, Marjorie Bransfield, Tanya Brown, Sarah Czepiel, Steve Fifita,
Brittany Gottschall, Joe Guarino, Omar Khalaf, Radhika Maheshwari, Vanessa Menton,
Steve Mugg, Amisha Muthialu, Joanna Naftali, Kyra Nelson, Claire Serpi, Janet Scholl, Meredith Sullivan
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Interested in joining the DEB Committee? Please fill out the following form and a committee chairperson will reach out with more information. |
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The Joseph Sears School Diversity, Equity, Belonging Committee
542 Abbotsford Road, Kenilworth, IL, 60043
School Office: 847-256-5006
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