Faculty Voice: Robert Lightbody

Together and Apart

As we come to the middle of the school year, I wanted to take the chance to share with you some thoughts on our affinity and cultural groups in the Middle School, and provide you with a glimpse into the conversations our students are having. Affinity and cultural groups give students a chance to focus on their identities, which in turn bolsters their confidence in themselves. These opportunities allow them to later publically speak with confidence about their identities.

An affinity group is a structured gathering of students organized around a common interest, such as our Students of Color group. An affinity group offers opportunities for students of shared or special interests and common bonds to connect on meaningful levels beyond the traditional School structure. This connection could be based on experiences, personal interests or identity. An affinity group is not outcome-oriented.

The purpose of affinity groups in the Middle School is to provide chances for our students to connect, to share, to develop their identities, to affirm and to challenge their beliefs, and to be celebrated. Affinity groups help students develop a deeper understanding of various aspects of their identity, and provide them with places to receive and give support and acceptance. In these spaces, students have the opportunity to emerge into the larger School community with their stronger selves and a sense of belonging. In affinity groups, conversations come naturally with classmates who have a shared experience, which then foster conversations in different settings outside the group. In the Students of Color affinity group this year, the students focused on the topic of hair and how their hair allows them to express themselves. They identified how they navigate people’s curiosity about their hair while respectfully setting boundaries. An outcome of this conversation was the desire to speak with students in younger grades about hair and its importance.

The purpose of cultural groups in the Middle School is to provide a gathering space for students focused around customary beliefs and social forms. Cultural groups are open environments where we come together and have cross-group, intellectual discourse. CAFE and the Faith-Based Group are cultural groups that provide our students with insight into their own lives, as well as into the experiences of others. In the fall, we created an ad-hoc group called “We The People” for students to talk about the election. The group provided context for a civil discourse around politics. Students were able to examine their own beliefs and understanding of politics. One of the questions that we used as a discussion topic was, “Should the government be able to intervene, advocate, or deny aspects of your daily life? Explain your thinking.”

As a parent, please encourage your child to share their unique identities to school so they can enrich our community, and ask questions about the conversations they’re having, to continue their growth at home.