How justice, equity, diversity and inclusion are embraced at SHS

February is Black History month. We honour it with celebration, self-reflection and challenging conversations while also pursuing an ongoing commitment to a curriculum in which justice, diversity, equity and inclusion are well integrated.

As an educational community, SHS plays an essential role in eradicating systemic bias and injustice. Our SHS boys have a bright future and they will go out into the world and shape it with their unique ideals and their individual views.  

We know from our Health & Well-being audit that a strong social justice and equity curriculum is central to each person’s good health because it embraces and encourages a hopeful and informed response regarding human rights and freedoms and access to resources. It also causes us to think about our influence, participation and power in a society, citizenship, character and the development of critical thinking.  

To help us in our own learning and unlearning journey, we have entered into a formal relationship with Ontario Institute for Studies in Education/University of Toronto professors Dr. Andrew Campbell and Dr. Jennifer Wemigwans. This year, these educators are leading all SHS faculty, staff and even our parent community, in ongoing professional development in the areas of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion - what we now refer to as JEDI. They are providing us with enriching materials and guiding us in our selection and use of inspiring resources for ourselves and for our boys.  

The Parents Association hosted two Dr. Campbell "Teachable Moments" Workshops through their Parent Education Program on January 19 and February 9. During these workshops we began to learn to develop cultural competence as a process rather than an endpoint. Just like any skill, the process of development and improvement continues. Participants were encouraged to use the reflective and reflexive lens as a means of unpacking power and privilege, and acknowledging their impact. They had the opportunity to examine how their actions can perpetuate a cycle of oppression or create opportunities for equity and they were shown how to move from awareness into action.  

If you missed these workshops, the conversation continues and there will be more opportunities in the future. 

We, at Sterling Hall, continue to have courageous conversations about how we can grow in our cultural competence and about how to be intentional, deliberate and authentic in our thinking and our policies. 

As a community, we have a great desire and need to learn more about the history, privilege and power that leads to systemic Anti-Black racism, Anti-Indigenous racism, LGBTQ2+ bias, gender equity concerns and more. By doing so, we can positively shape a future by opening ourselves up to new learning and passing that along to our boys.

As adults, we must model the ethics we wish to see in our children. This is critical to delivering the educational values and experiences that our boys deserve - and the skills and perspectives they will need to successfully navigate the complex world that they will inherit.