The Sisters close their meeting.

To open the school year and welcome new students of color, Circle of Sisters (affinity group for girls of color) and The Brothers (affinity group for boys of color) sponsored a gathering. Both groups are comprised of the students of color at NMH. The faculty of color introduced themselves, so students would recognize them around campus and the group members introduce themselves as well. Everyone enjoyed ice cream and cookies while getting to know one another. The gathering is an annual event and it went successful as usual this year. The new students got to sit down and chat with returning students of color. Both groups meet separately throughout the year, but occasionally have gatherings between the two. This gathering always marks the start of the work for  these two affinity groups.

The Borthers close their meeting.

On Sunday April 3, 2011, NMH sent six students to the Asian American Footsteps Conference at Phillips Andover Academy. Held for the first time this year, the conference is attended by Asian, Asian American and mixed-heritage Asian students who attend independent, secondary schools in New England. This conference, in particular, provides students with an opportunity to speak about issues that are related to the boarding school experience and the connection between international and domestic students of Asian descent.

Suchin Pak addresses Cathy Blewer '11, Andrew Okamura '11 and Ellie Li '12

The goals of the conference are to inspire, educate, connect, and affirm Asian, Asian American and mixed-heritage students at our schools.  Speakers at the conference included MTV News Team’s SuChin Pak, professor at UMass Boston, Dr. Peter Nien-chu Kiana, Tufts University’s Senior Lecturer, Jean Y. Wu and more. The day was packed, as the conference began at 9am and did not finish until 4:00pm. However, students returned from the conference with nothing but good words to say of the conference. The conference is made possible by a grant from the Abbot Academy Association and Phillips Academy’s Asian Society and Office of Community and Multicultural Development. NMH looks forward to sending students once again next year!

image courtesy of Worcester Academy

On Thursday, March 3rd, NMH Director of Multicultural Education, James Greenwood, was an invited facilitator at a Diversity Day “Teach In” at Worcester Academy in Worcester, MA. The first event of its kind, the Worcester Academy Diversity teach in was primary student-led, with outside facilitators like Greenwood serving as guidance and resources for the student facilitators.

Co-chaired by Worcester Academy seniors Ariel Hooker and Michael Prentice-Glasgow, son of Worcester Academy dean of students, Rodney Glasgow, the event included the entire upper school and took place in lieu of classes.  Glasgow states that the idea for the teach in originated last year when Worcester Academy students attended the 2010 Regional Diversity Conference hosted at NMH last March.  The 2010 conference was a collaboration between the two school’s diversity directors.

Learn more about the event at the Worcester Academy Website:

http://www.worcesteracademy.org/podium/default.aspx?t=204&nid=590584&bl=/default.aspx

After a fun-filled night playing the Michael Jackson Experience on the Wii video game system (an event hosted by the Circle of Sisters) , and the girls spending a night at co-faculty advisor, Metta Dael’s (Admission) house, both the Brothers and the Circle of Sisters joined together on Sunday afternoon February 13, 2011 in Social Hall for a retreat. The groups were joined by alums Jacob Aduama ’10 and Mary Diaz ’10.

The day opened with words from Director of Multicultural Education, James Greenwood (History) followed by  fun ice-breakers which helped to bring students together before the activities began. Following the ice-breakers, the alumni spoke about their experience at college so far. While both are freshmen in college, each had different things to say as Aduama attends Northeastern University in Boston, MA, and Diaz attends Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT. Students were able to get insight into the transition from NMH to college, as well as questions answered about the application process, and aspects of diversity at college.

Following the presentation of college, The Brothers and Circle of Sisters split off into their separate groups where they each enjoyed different workshops. The boys were led by faculty members Ron Smith (Performing Arts), Gorgui Diaw (World Languages), and Kenton Atta-Krah (Admission) in African drumming workshop while the girls were led by co-Faculty Advisor, Janae Peters (English), in a workshop about beauty.

To end the day, the Brothers and Circle of Sisters met with Dean of Students, Nicole Hager, as well as associate deans,  TJ Farmer and Kim Shearer. Each of the faculty members came to show their support and liaison with the groups. The conversation was based on commentary the students felt should be heard by the Dean of Students as well as the other faculty who came to Social Hall. The students were freely able to discuss their thoughts and feelings on what it is like to be one of the only students of color in class, as well as how they feel about the teaching of certain books with racial slurs such as Huckleberry Finn.

After four hours of concentrated work and conversations in Social Hall, Dean Hager, invited both of the groups over to her house for a dinner. The dinner was fun and warm, as it was nice to have dinner in an actual house with the NBA Magic / Lakers game playing in the background. The night was finished off with some video games as students slowly drifted off back to their rooms for a night of study.  A great time was had by all!

Reflection on Black History Month by Orelia Jonathan ’11:

Black History Month takes place in the month of February and is a month to remember the events in the history of the African Diaspora. The goal of Black History month is to educate the American people about African American’s cultural backgrounds and their achievements.

Black History Month was originally created when Carter Woodson created Negro Week in1926. The son of former salves, and the second black person to receive a degree from Harvard University, Carter Woodson understood the value of education. By creating this week he hoped to instill in other Blacks the importance of education, and encourage pride of their race. It was long after Woodson died in 1950, in 1976, that the name of Negro Week was changed to Black History Month and the length of the celebration changed. But today we are thankful for Woodson’s stand.

However, Black History Month often sparks a debate about whether it is right to have a month dedicated to the history of one race. One of the most common arguments states an interesting question: why is black history celebrated over the shortest month of the year? This statement is often followed by the complaint that Black History Month makes it right to ignore other African American history for the other 11 months of the year, thus promoting racism. It is also argued that since we have a month dedicated to African American history, it separates it from American history making it unequal.

While there may be a huge controversy over the ongoing existence of the month, it is only proper to honor the astounding African American figures who have made their mark on history. People such as our president Barack Obama, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, and Ernest Green.  Let us take this month to think of all the ways that Black History is American History for all of us – and to continue to honor Black History year-round.

To close the week of MLK celebrations, NMH hosted its winter Diversity Summit on the afternoon of Sunday, January 23rd.  The keynote speaker was Rodney Glasgow, director of diversity at Worcester Academy, co-chair of the NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference, and classmate of NMH Director of Multicultural Education, James Greenwood at the Klingenstein Center for Independent School Education at Teachers College, Columbia University.

The summit was opened to all, and those who showed were invited into an warm, inviting setting.  Glasgow was very warm and down to earth with everyone present. Glasgow spoke about what it was like to attend a predominately white all-male independent school – as a gay, black, teenager. He invited the students into his life, and told of how he was his own Civil Rights Movement.  Further, he encouraged them about how they could each be their own Civil Rights Movement by standing up for what they believe in.

Student Diversity Committee Member, Cora Sloan '13, leads a diversity workshop

Many students were inspired by Glasgow and, at the end of his talk, were invited to the microphone to share their own beliefs and in what ways they were going to stand up for what they believe in. Greeting students with a warm smile, Glasgow appreciated any and all comments, allowing students to ask personal questions about his life.

Following the talk, two workshops were held in the Blake Classrooms, one led by members of the Student Diversity Committee, and the other led Glasgow. As always, the Diversity Summit proved to be an enlightening and inspiring.  The final summit will be held later this Spring, in April 2011.

Rodney Glasgow with Student Diversity Committee Member Catherine Blewer '11

NMH’s annual International Carnival and Talent Show took place Saturday January 22, 2011. Foods from different countries around the world were represented and many students showcased their talents later that night.

At the carnival, “passports” were purchased and the eating began. There was a wide variety of foods and it was almost impossible to get a taste of every culture represented. There was jollof rice from Africa, empanadas presented by S.A.L.S.A (Spanish And Latino Student Association), Irish stew from Ireland, and much more. Students, faculty, and dining hall staff went out of their way to make it a successful night. Dining hall staff also provided milkshakes, which were very delicious. Students seemed very pleased, and stuffed, by the end of the event.

After tasting foods from around the world, students gathered in Grandin Auditorium to experience talents from all over the world. A panel of judges took their seats and the NMH talent poured onto the stage. Their was singing, monologues, magic tricks, and much more. First place went to Will Copeland ’13 who snag and played piano,  second place , Lilly Kitfield ’14 who sang a cover of Paramore’s “The Only Exception”, and third place,  Yichen (Ellie) Li ’12 with magic tricks. Many students showed up to support their brave peers who graced the stage with their talents.
Overall, it was an eventful and exciting night!

faculty member Yabei Chen and NMH students prepare food for the carnival

http://studentlife.nmhblogs.org/2011/02/03/international-carnival/

photo from jordancarlos.com

After a week of thought-provoking meetings and captivating speakers who visited in celebration of MLK Week, on Friday night, it was time to unwind and laugh!  Traditionally, NMH has hosted comedians to conclude the MLK celebration week, and this year we were joined by noted comedian, Jordan Carlos.  Carlos, a Brooklyn-based stand up comic has appeared most notably as Stephen Colbert’s black friend “Alan” on the Colbert Report, and performed his standup on Comedy Central’s “ Live at Gotham” and various other New York Comedy Festivals.

Students piled into Grandin Auditorium on Friday night, January 21st to hear him perform, and they were not let down!  The room filled with laughter and applause as Carlos offered his hilarious insights and take on life.  NMH was Carlos’s first boarding school engagement, and his first performance for high school students. Afterwards, students were able to meet with Carlos and learn more about him!  A refreshing and hilarious close to an inspiring and thought-provoking week!

Carlos with Student Diversity Committee Members Ricardo Tarraf '11 and Orelia Jonathan '11

http://www.jordancarlos.com/

Thursday January 20th, NMH affinity group, The Brothers, led a discussion entitled “Race in the Media”.  The Brothers is an affinity group aimed at supporting young men of color at Northfield Mount Hermon.  As part of the annual MLK Week, one of the campus affinity groups hosts an interactive, student-led workshop.

The focus of this workshop was to examine how race is portrayed in the media and how it affects society and its view of racial issues. Clips from recent television shows and films were presented, followed by in-depth analysis and discussion.

Students came and were prepared to engage in the discussion which was very successfully guided by Brothers members Kyle Andrews ‘12, DeKeeba Battee Aston ’13, Ryan Kelly ’12, Dametrius King ’12, Julian Madison ’13, and Alex Welbeck ’12. Each student who showed up left with their questions answered and maybe even more brewing issues to discuss.   The Brothers look forward to hosting other events and workshops throughout the rest of the school year.

l to r Brothers Members: Alex Welbeck '13, Kyle Andrews '13, Dametrius King '13, Ryan Kelly '13, Yvon Biselele '13

With a one-hour delay start to class due to ice storms, on Wednesday January 19, 2011, the NMH community was once again lucky enough to have welcomed Ernest Green to their SLC all-school meeting. A part of what has come to be known as the “Little Rock Nine,” Green and eight other black students were the first to integrate Central High in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957, following the landmark Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education.

Mr. Green began his day by visiting Director of Multicultural Education, James Greenwood’s “History of the Civil Rights Movement” class as well as History Teacher, Chris Edler’s “US History” Class.  Later, he spoke before the entire NMH Community as part of the Student Life Curriculum series.

Mr. Green intrigued the audience with his story, and the students listened closely as Green told anecdotes from his childhood. But more importantly, Green’s message was not just about the past, and his high school days, his story was about the future and the work that still needs to be done today. He spoke of what it was like to be a part of the change, and how we could all be like  the Little Rock 9 when we recognize our “Little Rock Moment”.

After his speech, Green was given a standing ovation, for many students had taken to heart what he had to say. Once the speech was finished, students were able to dine in Alumni hall with Mr. Green and ask him further questions. NMH is honored and lucky to host such a luminary in the Civil Rights Movement.