I hope your school year is off to a smooth and successful start. As we settle into this new academic year, I’m excited to share my vision as your Diversity, Access, and Inclusion Coach, and to introduce an important survey distributed in September.

I’d like to share my intentions for this school year:

This website was my first goal – I hope you check back regularly and subscribe to this blog to stay up to date with what’s available to you and the support I can provide.

Over the course of this year, I plan to propose, develop, and deliver professional development opportunities relevant to staff. In order to do this, a survey was distributed that asked you to share information regarding individual and department needs regarding diversity in the classroom, school, district, and workplace. If you have not completed the survey (or need the link resent), please contact me via email. I will share the results of the survey on this blog in early October.

During the October staff day, I will conduct a workshop entitled “Building Equity in the Classroom through Community Agreements and Empathy Maps”. These two activities can be incorporated into any class in any subject. I look forward to sharing these activities, conducting a sample activity with attendees, and brainstorming how you can adapt these activities to your subject and student population. If you are unable to attend this session, please send me an email, and I will share my presentation with you.

In the coming months, I plan to create the Diversity Collective, a group of teachers exploring topics in DEI who then share their insights with other teachers in their building and department. If this is something you are interested in, please respond to the survey and/or meet with me and other interested teachers at the time indicated on the October staff day.

Long term, I plan to expand staff resources and professional development that reflect the needs of staff and students by regularly surveying, listening, and supporting staff members. I will also address the lack of diversity in our student population in conjunction with my doctoral research at Rider University.

As we embark on this journey together, your feedback and collaboration will be essential in shaping our collective efforts. I’m looking forward to working closely with each of you to create an environment where every student feels valued and empowered. Thank you for taking the time to complete the survey — your insights are invaluable. I appreciate your dedication and commitment to making this a great school year for everyone in the MCVSD community!