Like many committees at Greenwood, the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee works hard to foster a safe and welcoming environment for everyone. The DEI Committee runs initiatives at the school to celebrate diverse cultures and identities as well as educational programs on how to best support these groups.
The DEI Committee works hand in hand with the executives of other committees, like the Arts Committee, Athletics Committee and House Captains, to incorporate activities that integrate the DEI Committee’s themes and initiatives. For example, the DEI Committee collaborated with both the Arts and Athletics Committees for Black History Month and Greenwood Pride Month to create morning announcement spotlights on Black/LGBTQ+ artists and athletes. The committee has also worked with the House execs to incorporate some friendly competition for House points to support DEI initiatives.
To bring DEI into every aspect of Greenwood life, the DEI Committee collaborates with various other committees and clubs to really make an impact for their initiatives. One such example of this extensive collaborative effort was the DEI Committee’s initiatives for this February’s Black History Month. The DEI Committee began planning for Black History Month well in advance so that they would be ready to go once the month started. This also allowed them to promote upcoming activities before February began.
Some of the Black History Month planning involved creating a Community Time lesson on Afrofuturism and a list of Afrofuturist movies. The DEI Committee also planned collaboration with other committees (like Arts, Athletics, and Student Council) to spotlight influential Black artists, athletes and leaders presented during morning announcements. In addition, working with the Social Action Committee, the DEI Committee promoted Black-owned businesses in Toronto that students can support. Bethany Glick, Greenwood’s Coordinator, Inclusion & Belonging, also arranged for Dr. Audrey Hudson to speak to our community on Afrofuturism, and the committee brainstormed insightful discussion questions for students to answer after Dr. Hudson’s presentation.
The current DEI Committee executives, Teagan Millar ‘22, Maurya Shah ‘22 and Erin Stewart ‘22, have certainly taken note of the impact the committee has had on Greenwood’s community.
“One of the most rewarding things is being able to see how Greenwood has changed and grown over the years as a result of the work our committee has done,” the executives say. “It makes us hopeful that the school will only continue to grow and improve after we have graduated, taking it one small step at a time.”
Students can apply to be on the DEI Committee for the coming school year in the spring through the application form available on the Student Leaderships ON page during this time of year. The next year’s committee members will be selected by the supervising teacher. However, if a student really wishes to be a part of the DEI Committee, the current executives suggest having teachers and/or peers review their application to make sure it clearly conveys why they would be an excellent fit for the DEI Committee.