Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Severn

Below are some of the professional development opportunities for our teachers in the past 5 years: 

• AIMS Inclusivity Conference
• World Artists Experiences: Arab Cultural Immersion Experience
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Conference
• Equity Design Lab on Culturally Responsive Teaching
• Harvard Culturally Responsive Literature Instruction Program
• Institute for Teaching Diversity and Social Justice: Talking About Race with Children
• NAIS Inclusive Schools Network Institute
• NAIS People of Color Conference
• Orton Gillingham Conference
• Pollyanna Racial Literacy Curriculum’s "From Diversity to Community" Conference
• AIMS Gender & Sexual Orientation Conference: Making Schools Safe
• AIMS Talking About Race with Our Students and Each Other

Below are some of the professional development opportunities for our teachers in the past 5 years: 

• Severn Summer Institute Inclusivity Sessions
• NAIS Equity Workshop
• AIMS Birds of a Feather: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
• AIMS Navigating Challenging Conversations
• AIMS Diversity Conference hosted annually at Severn
• Faculty Inclusion and Collaboration Training with Charles Belo
• Workshop with Jennifer Bryan Ph.D. on learning to communicate about issues of gender, sexuality, and diversity 

Our Lower School has developed a strategy to create intentional and meaningful learning opportunities that promote inclusivity at every grade and developmental level. This approach includes things like:

• Investigating how gender is represented in our world. For example, 5th graders read literature with themes from Sudan, Guatemala, Vietnam, Russia, Oman, and Brazil and discuss traditional gender roles in those countries. 2nd graders discuss whether stores should sort and display toys as "toys for girls" and "toys for boys" in their entrepreneur unit.
• Examining race and identity in different contexts. For example, prekindergarten students read The Skin You're In, The Colors of Us, and Shades of People, and create self portraits, mixing paint to create their unique shade of skin. 4th graders use primary source photographs and articles to compare the experiences of immigrants coming to Ellis Island (with larger number of people from Western European countries) and Angel Island (with larger number of people from Asian countries). 

We also implemented the Pollyanna Racial Literacy Curriculum in 2019 to foster positive understandings about race and culture in our Lower School community. Through this ongoing work, our teachers help students make natural connections to an array of perspectives and experiences.

We schedule assemblies and programs throughout each year for students to learn about different cultures. Recent presentations include:

• Musician in Residence Kevin Martin of Rockcreek Steel Drums gave a presentation on the history and musical traditions of Trinidad followed by a week-long workshop for students to practice and perform steel drum music for our community.
• We hosted Into the Great Unknown, an educational tour from The Smithsonian Institution's Discovery Theater featuring Black explorers throughout history and today.

For more, check out the Birney Appreciating Differences Program and the Elizabeth Wegner Musician in Residence Program.

Open Doors is a program designed to educate students about diversity and inclusivity. It is geared toward fostering an appreciation of others — how we are different from one another and how we are similar. The ultimate goal is to reflect upon barriers that people create based on these differences. Teacher Ms. Spears creates thoughtful lessons, incorporating a diverse selection of literature and resources, for students to openly discuss their thoughts in a safe environment.

In Heartstrings, students develop strategies to deal with academic and emotional challenges, to manage their own learning, and to help their peers. With counselor Ms. Karin Mitchell, students work through lessons to develop empathy and problem-solving skills, and to learn how to handle difficult emotions. This social-emotional curriculum strengthens social responsibility by building a foundation of understanding and respect for others.

Using strategies from the ALA program, “Evaluating, Auditing and Diversifying Your Collections,” Ms. Kristen Kwisnek conducted a library audit and updated the collection with a more robust selection of diverse texts to support inclusive instruction.

In our Middle School, we use diverse literature and engage in meaningful class discussions to examine our shared human experience and highlight a broad spectrum of voices throughout history and today. Examples include:

• In the multidisciplinary unit, "The Breadwinner," 6th graders explore the history and culture of Afghanistan through the perspective of young Afghani girl. They learn that culture and identity are a combination of many elements — from history, climate, and economics to personal perspectives and relationships.
• Every 8th grader crafts and delivers a speech to raise awareness about local and global issues in society. This is a chance for students to practice research-based advocacy while sharing personal connections with their peers.
• Identity, Diversity, Equity, and Action at Severn (I.D.E.A.S.). This required class for 6th graders navigates historical perspectives on race, culture, and inequity in the U.S. through the lens of groups and individuals whose stories have been hidden throughout history.

Community Life Day challenges middle schoolers to think about what it means to be part of a world community. They explore everything from self-identity and positivity to understanding others and equity. The student-led Community Life Committee plans the event each year which mimicks a mini-conference with rotating workshop sessions. Past workshop sessions include:

• Gender and Sexual Identity
• Illustrate Your Equality
• Culture Equality
• Inside Out Self Portrait
• Empathy

Strong leadership stems from listening to the needs of your community, including as many voices as possible, and empowering others to do their best. In addition to work in the classroom, middle schoolers can develop these skills in Student Council, Community Life Committee, and by attending conferences with peers from local area schools. Past conferences include:

• Be Seen. Be Heard: A Middle School Diversity Conference
• Middle School Leadership Summit in Baltimore

We are dedicated to developing classes that encourage our students to view the world from multiple perspectives and gain a broader understanding of history. We also offer seminars for Upper School students to develop characteristics of emotional intelligence including self-awareness and regulation, empathy, social communication, and more. Current Upper School classes include:

• African American Voices in Literature
• The Immigrant Experience in America
• Women in American Literature
• Freedom and Identity in LGBTQ Literature
• Literature of Oppression and Reslience
• The Modern Middle East
• The Harlem Renaissance (multidiscliplinary)
• Sophomore through Junior Seminars: "Getting to Know Myself" and "Getting to Know Others"

Upper School students and faculty attend and present at conferences each year, often bringing valuable lessons home to Severn. Annually, we also organize three leadership labs in which students gather for discussions and workshops on effective community leadership. Many student-led advocacy initiatives are informed by skills they learn at these events. 

Past conferences include:

• Baltimore Student Diversity Leadership Conference
• National Student Diversity Leadership Conference
• AIMS Diversity in the DMV Conference
• Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network Youth Summit
• AIMS Gender & Sexual Orientation Conference: Making Schools Safe
• GDS Summit on Sexual Assault and Consent
• Amnesty International Regional Conference
• Lessons of the Shoah

Past speakers include:

• Inclusion and collaboration consultant, trustee, and former Severn parent, Charles Belo spoke to our students about perceptions, triggers, and bias. 
• Best-selling author and educator Julie Lythcott Haims presented a talk on Real American, her memoir about being Black and biracial growing up in White spaces.

Throughout the year, clubs host events to drive support for their causes and promote allyship in our community such as United Spectrum's "Day of US" and "Day of Silence" and SWAG's annual Period drive.

There’s a growing interest among our students in learning advocacy and leadership strategies through healthy discourse and community-building activities. This annual full-day conference, created and led by our students, is one stop along a continuum of inclusion and social awareness work at Severn. The conferences include workshops developed by students on global and local issues, a keynote speaker, and reflection activities. This event evolved from previous student-led workshops and presentations on inclusivity in celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Past Unity Day topics include: