DEIG in! Your Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Global Education Newsletter -- April 2023

Cover: Photo from a Dhow Boat in Oman, taken during BB&N's Arabic Trip, by Jade DuVal

Words of the month: Ramadan, Easter, Passover

Ramadan is the Arabic name for the ninth month in the Islamic calendar. It is considered one of the holiest months for Muslims and is marked by a period of fasting, considered one of the Five Pillars of Islam. In 2023, Ramadan started on the evening of Wednesday 22 March, and will finish on the evening of Friday 21 April. If you want to wish someone well, you can say "Ramadan Mubarak", which means "Blessed Ramadan", or "Ramadan Kareem", which translates as "Generous Ramadan".

Easter is one of the central holidays, or Holy Days, of Christianity. It honors the Resurrection of Jesus three days after His death by crucifixion. For many Christian churches, Easter is the joyful conclusion to Lent, a customary time for fasting, giving something up, or abstinence. Easter falls this year on Sunday April 9th.

Passover, or Pesach in Hebrew, is one of the Jewish religion’s most sacred and widely observed holidays. In Judaism, Passover commemorates the story of the Israelites’ departure from ancient Egypt. Jewish people observe the weeklong festival with a number of important rituals, including a traditional Passover meal known as a seder, the removal of leavened products from their home, the substitution of matzo for bread and the retelling of the exodus tale. Passover 2023 will be from sundown on April 5, 2023, to sundown on April 13, 2023.

The DEIG Office wishes all those whole celebrate a "Ramadan Mubarak", Happy Easter, and “Chag Pesach Sameach!”

Global Education Trips

This spring break we celebrated the return of Global Education Travel Programs. We are very fortunate to be able to offer opportunities for students to be immersed in other cultures, practice new languages, and have fun in a new place.

This year, Courtney Soule led the Middle School Global Program taking students to Greece. The Upper School ran two exchange trips, one to France led by French teachers James Sennette & Ben Sprayregen, and another to Spain led by Spanish teachers Carrie Rose & Ana Maria Valle. Josh Walker ran a Russian trip along the Adriatic Coast and Amani Abu Shakra led the Arabic program to Oman and Dubai.

There were also two Round Square trips. Dr. Karina Baum led travel with students to the Round Square conference at the Elaraki Marrakech school in Morocco, and Leah Cataldo went to Latymer Upper in London for a Round Square and BB&N teacher exchange.

Below is just a small sneak peak into all the amazing things BB&N students and faculty experienced all around the world.

Trip leaders and chaperones: Carrie Rose, Jade DuVal, Ana Maria Valle, Rachel Jamison, Jorge Delgado, Yinong Yang, Ben Sprayregen, Thanaydi Sandoval, James Sennette, Courtney Soule, Anna Curtis, Amani Abu Shakra, Joshua Walker, Shawnee Sloop, Sarah Vollmann.

Photo: French Exchange trip

Spanish Exchange

We spent 10 days in Spain. We started in Barcelona where we toured the city and focused on art.

In addition to seeing art and architecture at Parc Güell, la Sagrada Familia, the Joan Miró Foundation and a street art tour, we also made art and food in a mosaic class, a cooking class, and when spray-painting our own art on a wall.

In Madrid, we each stayed with a host family. We spent a day going to school with our host "buddy" and we had 2 days of sightseeing in Madrid. We went to El Prado Museum to see art, the new Wanda Metropolitano where the Atlético Madrid team plays, and we saw the Royal Palace. We had lots of time to be with our host families and learn about the culture in Spain.

French Exchange

While touring the city, in between the informational sessions with the guide, we visited a few churches and eventually saw the magnificent Notre Dame. It was unfortunate that we were unable to enter the building, but it was nice to see that it is still ok after the fire in 2019. The second half of the day consisted of L’église Saint Séverin, L’eglise St Julien Le Pauvre, La Sainte Chapelle, and finally Le Louvre, as well as many other beautiful “endroits”.

We visited the Luxembourg Gardens, took a walk around Paris through the surrounding neighborhoods (with a Guide). The Guide taught us a lot about Luxembourg Gardens's history, and everyone expressed interest. Next, we walked over to the Latin Quarter of Paris where we learned a lot about the Universities and their backgrounds.

It rained upon our arrival at the Eiffel Tower, but the weather soon calmed down. The group was given a chance to explore the view of Paris from above, and the tour guide helpfully pointed out buildings to look for. “I was taken by the view,” said Daisy. Before descending the multitude of stairs, some of us shared snacks while others purchased souvenirs. “These fries are very American,” said Emily, though we thoroughly enjoyed them.

Afterward, we took the train to the Palais Opéra Garnier House. There was a guided tour that took us around the main areas explaining the history of the building and its construction. We also got the chance to sit in the auditorium and watch the technicians setting up the next show on the stage. From there, we walked to the Galeries Lafayette, a huge department store, to take a group picture on the roof of the building.

Arabic Program Oman & Dubai

During our trip to Oman and Dubai we had the opportunity to build a better comprehension of the faith of Islam, get a firsthand experience of the environmental protection that is part of the basic law of Oman, and learn about the history and culture of the Middle East with our local tour guide.

While in Oman we shopped and practiced our Arabic in the Mutrah Souq also known as "the market of darkness" because of how dense the shops are. We swam in the beautiful blue waters of the Bimah Sinkhole & climbed through the Desert Oasis of Wadi Arbayeen. It was a nice relaxing break from the heat.

We spent the night in the Sharqiya Sands, home to the nomadic Bedu (Bedouin) people and their camels. After taking camel rides, we took off our shoes, stuck our toes in the sand, and climbed on top of a dune to watch the sunset together.

Once we arrived in Dubai the change in pace was surprising. Our time there was jam packet including a trip to the top of the Burj Khalifa, eating dinner at the Dubai Mall, getting to see the largest carpet in the world at the "Jumeirah or White Mosque", and spending some time at the Falcon Hospital while learning about the tradition of falconry in the UAE.

Round Square Conference

We traveled to the Elaraki Marrakech, International School in Morocco for the Round Square “The Future is Now” Confrence

Round Square Collaboration

Leah Cataldo traveled to London and met with students enrolled in Latymer's Global Perspective elective who were partnering with my Current Topics and Research in Science and Technology elective. The goal of the two group's collaboration was to share and compare perspectives on hunger in the US and the UK, to build their working partnerships, and then they chose one of five real-world global challenges to consider and propose solutions taking into consideration multiple perspectives.

Highlights

Sixth grade JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion) Club students worked with Hi-Rise bakery to organize, pick up donations, and deliver them to the First Parish Community Fridge to help address food insecurity in Cambridge.

Affinity Alliance Interest Group Leaders held a Panel for the BB&N Board of Trustees

The Middle School hosted an US GSA (Gender and Sexuality Alliance) student panel during CAB on March 29th.

Grade 6 JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion) Club students working on an email to Lower School teachers about their upcoming project: collecting uneaten school lunches to donate to the Harvard Square Community Fridge twice a week.

Students attended the AISNE Middle School Students of Color Conference on Saturday, April 1st at Shady Hill.

Dr. Karina Baum presented at the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Annual Conference on Reinforcing Global Education Programs Post-Pandemic

During Rainbow Community Time, Rainbow Affinity students in grades K-6 learned about the Stonewall Uprising and key leaders: Stormé Delarverie, Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and Miss Major Griffin-Gracy. Students choose adjectives to describe these leaders, and decorated them to hang on a bulletin board in the Lehner Center.

BB&N @ AISNE Conference. The theme: Bringing Increased Access and Inclusion to Your School Community

Inaugural AASA and SASA collaboration. Planning for Asian American Pacific Islander Month celebrating Asian, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, South Asian cultures, contributions, and heritages.

The Round Square student committee hosted its 50th Global Community Conversation with students from around the world. These focused discussions and cultural exchange was founded at BB&N in June of 2020, GCC is a biweekly virtual forum where participants learn about diverse perspectives, connect with peers, and have fun through a chosen theme.

Student Spotlight

Young Black Entrepreneur

This past month I had the chance to walk and talk with Isis a 2nd grader at the LS about the business Little Regalia she started with her dad. She shared that the idea was inspired by a BLM protest that her family attended. Her experience at the protest was very transformational and the pillows pictured are based off a picture taken of Isis at the protest. The goal of the company is to inspire and empower kids who look like Isis. Our conversation ended with Isis emphasizing how wonderful it has been for her to learn from and work with her dad and "be a part of something important".

Looking Ahead

Wednesday 4/5 6:45-8pm, US Chorale Room: Iftar event with Cambridge Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui
Wednesday 4/5 5:30-7:30pm, US Commons: Noche Espanola - Paella Night
Thursday 4/20 7-8pm: Parents for Racial Equity (PRE) Event

Inspirations

Read: Once Upon An Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices - Once Upon an Eid is a collection of short stories that showcases the most brilliant Muslim voices writing today, all about the most joyful holiday of the year: Eid!
Read: The Catch Me If You Can: One Woman's Journey to Every Country in the World by Jessica Nabongo - In this inspiring travelogue, celebrated traveler and photographer Jessica Nabongo—the first Black woman on record to visit all 195 countries in the world—shares her journey around the globe with fascinating stories of adventure, culture, travel musts, and human connections.
Watch: Ugly Delicious - The Virginia-born child of Korean parents, renowned chef David Chang is deeply interested in how foodways travel, intersect, and melt together. His travelogue sends him on a journey to culinary hot spots around the world to use food as a vehicle to break down cultural barriers and tackle misconceptions.
Watch: High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America - Black food is American food. Chef and writer Stephen Satterfield traces the delicious, moving throughlines from Africa to Texas in this docuseries.

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Photo: French Exchange Trip

This month's newsletter was curated by Jade DuVal, DEIG Programs and Operations Coordinator and Education Fellow.

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