Over the summer, Brad Belin, Assistant Head of School for Curriculum + Program and Director of Upper School, and Katie Chhu, Director of Admission, joined the inaugural cohort of AISNE's Leadership and Racial Justice Fellows for a weekend centered on inclusion and equity in our schools.

The cohort of twenty educators from across New England, whose roles spanned from elementary level teacher to head of school, came together on the 1,100-acre campus of Hale Education, to engage in mindful racial justice leadership. Being immersed in the natural environment, without access to phones and computers, allowed participants dedicated time to fully engage with this work with like minded, passionate peers.

“One of the most impactful elements of the program was being at a venue that encouraged school leaders in attendance to stretch their thinking, and engage in a fully experiential setting, and not just inside a multi-purpose meeting space in a hotel.” - Brad Belin

The program was facilitated by a team of experts in anti-racist organizational development over the course of a deep, personalized, and experiential three-day program. Leading DEIJ educator Erica Pernelll served as Program Director, and was joined by facilitators Jadi Taveras, Head of School at Esperanza Academy in Lawrence, MA, and Melissa Lawlor, Upper School Director for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Milton Academy in Milton, MA. GUS parent Sara Wilson P’29, director of accreditation at AISNE, also joined the program as AISNE coordinator.

“The three days allowed us to move past just establishing the clear need and the theoretical framework, but into the practical application of how we move our schools forward. We worked hard discussing challenging scenarios, learned how to map organizational change, and were assigned a performance task to bring back to GUS.” - Katie Chhu

Drawing on theories, case studies, and models for organizational change discussed, Fellows were tasked with developing a blueprint for ‘one big thing’ - something they could successfully implement through their specific role(s) at their schools. They then had the opportunity to work-shop their ideas with peers for further iteration and refinement. Katie looked closely at GUS’ financial aid model, to ensure equity can be at the forefront of our policies. Brad’s ‘One Big Thing’ set groundwork for cultivating and maintaining relationships with alumni, and current/former employees who self-identify as BIPOC, in order to inform and impact how GUS can continue its natural evolution towards racial justice in the curriculum. 

Brad and Katie are excited to continue this important work through their respective roles at GUS in order to support the DEIJ strategic plan. Since returning from the AISNE cohort, Katie and Brad have co-facilitated in-service faculty meetings alongside Emily Rabinowitz-Buchanan, and continue to explore ways to incorporate their learnings all they do at GUS - so stay tuned for more updates. In the meantime, we hope you will join Katie, Brad, Emily, and Sara Wilson P’29, at the Admissions community read on October 11th!