Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiatives: November 2020

The Diversity Committee had a busy month of planning and executing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives.

November started with Holocaust Education Week. On Monday, November 2 Greenwood welcomed Michelle Glied-Goldstein from Carrying Testimony, who shared her father’s experience as a Holocaust survivor. View Michelle’s presentation here.

Throughout the week, the Jewish Culture Club led daily announcements and moments of reflection. Our Diversity Committee also created an Adviser lesson based on antisemitism in Toronto. Students from all grades thought critically about discrimination in Toronto. 

During the first half of November, we hosted a school-wide reading of Reverie by Ryan La Sala. Reverie is a fantasy novel that is imaginative and bold and full of queer representation. All students and staff were encouraged to read this novel.

In November, Greenwood appointed Rachael Swain as Staff Liaison, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Rachael’s role is to create more opportunities for staff to actively engage in matters of DEI and support the implementation of best practices in the classroom and beyond. She will act as a touch point for staff if they need specific support facilitating challenging conversations related to DEI. She will also curate resources for staff and students who want to independently explore topics relevant to DEI. 

On November 11, we honoured Remembrance Day with a special assembly that focused on the legacy of LGBTQ+ and BIPOC contributions to Canadian war efforts.

Sarah Bruce, Principal, and Rachael Swain, Staff Liaison, DEI, attended the Diversity Committee meeting on November 19. There, they listened to student voices and ensured that students had their questions heard. 

We are looking forward to more initiatives that will take place throughout the month of December.
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Greenwood College School

443 Mount Pleasant Road
Toronto, ON M4S 2L8
Tel: 416 482 9811
We acknowledge with gratitude the Ancestral lands upon which our main campus is situated. These lands are the Ancestral territories of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Anishinabek and the Wendake. The shared responsibility of this land is honoured in the Dish with One Spoon Treaty and as settlers, we strive to care for the land, the waters, and all creatures in the spirit of peace. We are responsible for respecting and supporting the enduring presence of all First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples. When away from this campus we vow to be respectful to the land by protecting and honouring it. We will create relationships with the people and the land we may visit by understanding the territories we enter and the nations who inhabit them.
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