Greene Street Friends School
Alumni eNewsletter
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Processing the Week's Events:
Message From Head of School Edward Marshall
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Earlier today, Head of School Edward Marshall sent the following letter to Greene Street Friends School families, faculty, staff, and Board members regarding the week's events. Under Ed's letter, you will also find resources to talk with children about traumatic events and a short message from Marty Foley, our 7th and 8th Grade Social Studies Teacher, about how these events were taught in 7th and 8th Grade Social Studies classrooms.
Each month, we select a different Quaker word here at Greene Street Friends School. January’s word “consensus”, was just beginning to be discussed in classrooms when this week’s insurrection in Washington, D.C. took place. While students considered consensus - the thoughtful deliberation of an issue and the building of unity toward a solution, I watched in horror as rioters, largely White and many armed, carrying symbols of racial and religious hatred, emboldened by a sitting U.S. President, broke into, occupied, and tore up rooms and offices in the Capital building. Furthermore, they intentionally (if temporarily) shut down the official process by which we transfer power from one president to another.
As a Quaker, I admired the restraint of the police in the face of violent, treasonous, and destructive behavior. But I also noticed how most of the mob walked out of this Federal building, a literal center of our government, of their own accord, free of handcuffs or harm. I do not wish violence for these wayward citizens. But I did and do mourn the obviously different treatment of groups by law enforcement that our Black and Brown families know all too well --- whether protesting or just driving a car. While we might console ourselves that the 2020 election was quickly certified in the wake of these events, what happened on Wednesday continues to reflect the deep roots of white supremacy in our nation.
This week has been challenging for all of us at Greene Street Friends. I thank faculty and staff for creating safe spaces for students to express their feelings --- even more challenging by Zoom. We know that conversations will continue in your own homes and have a few resources to share below. I hope you find them helpful in talking with your student(s) about this week’s events. Amira, our School Counselor, and Kareem and Kiri, our Lower and Middle School Deans are also always available to your family. I am also available to talk about how GSFS is moving toward becoming an anti-racist school at any time.
In closing, let us also look forward to witnessing another “first” in two weeks: a Vice-President who is a woman of color and the child of immigrants. We will celebrate.
With thanks,
Edward Marshall
Head of School
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Teaching, and Experiencing, History in Middle School
by Marty Foley, 7th and 8th Grade Social Studies Teacher
The 7th and 8th Grade classes discussed the historic events of this week in some depth. From the election of the first Black and first Jewish senators from Georgia, to the chaos that preceded the confirmation of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the new president and vice-president, this was a week unlike anything in our lifetimes. We shared and discussed the macro view of the events - what does this mean to us, to our country - to the micro view of the impact on individual members of the community. It will take a while to unpack these discussions, and we will continue to help students (and ourselves) understand and make sense of a very confusing world.
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Save the Date:
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Action
Monday, January 18th
Our annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Action, coordinated by the Parents and Caregivers Association for Advancing Racial Equity in Our School (PCA C.A.R.E.S.) will be held virtually on Monday, January 18th. Please email Natalie Coney if you would like more information and Zoom links.
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Alumni Association Meeting
Tuesday, January 12th at 7:00 p.m. EST
We hope to see you at the next virtual meeting of the Alumni Association on Tuesday, January 12th. We will discuss Alumni Day, happening later this spring! Here is the Zoom information:
Meeting ID: 378 238 3388
Passcode: GSFS1234
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Support the Annual Fund Today
Earlier this fall, you heard from Laura Parnum '87 about why she has remained an active member of the GSFS community. In these times of great uncertainty and instability, Laura has once again found comfort in the way GSFS remains committed to its mission and care for all members of the community, from caregivers and students to faculty and staff. You can join Laura in supporting this work anytime, simply by clicking here. |
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Fall Word on the Street Available
Just before Winter Break, the fall edition of Word on the Street, our bi-annual magazine hit inboxes, with updates about the transition to virtual learning, donor list, Horizons updates, and Young Alumni college and high school selections.
You can read Word on the Street by clicking here.
We are also preparing alumni updates for our spring edition of Word on the Street! If you have updates for the alumni community, please send them to Lindsay Barrett-Adler in the Development Office.
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