Update on FSM’s diversity work by Rebecca Slaby, FSM Diversity Coordinator Now that the school year is in full swing, I would like to explain my work as diversity coordinator and provide some historical perspective on the work that the school has been doing over the years around the issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice.
Friends School of Minnesota 7th and 8th graders wrapped up our Race, Gender, and Sexuality in the Media and Pop Culture unit in humanities in May. This unit challenges students to examine the role media plays in their lives, how the media constructs messages about race/ethnicity, gender, and sexuality, and how those messages impact one’s sense of identity. We center the unit around the Center for Media Literacy’s five core concepts.. Read More
We spent a beautiful May Day at the University of Minnesota for State History Day, supporting eight 7th and 8th grade projects that competed in the categories of performance, exhibit, documentary, website, and paper. Over 1,200 junior and senior high school students participated in Minnesota’s State History Day this year. Congratulations to all of our History Day State participants! We are so proud of you! Papers Noah R. – Immigration.. Read More
Recently, Friends School of Minnesota 7th and 8th graders showcased their National History Day projects at FSM. The students started the projects in December by choosing a topic and connecting it to the year’s theme, Exploration, Encounter, and Exchange in History. During the months of January and February, we put aside our regular humanities curriculum to focus solely on the History Day projects. Students conduct extensive research using primary and.. Read More
Over the past month, fellow middle school humanities teacher Melissa Andersen and I have been engaged with the 5th and 6th graders in some challenging, thoughtful work around race and racism in our society. It began with our field trip to the RACE: Are We So Different? exhibit at the Science Museum of Minnesota, something I recommend that everyone go and see. Before the field trip, we did some preview.. Read More
Friends School of Minnesota 5th and 6th graders had a great time on their three-day, two-night trip to Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center in Lanesboro, Minnesota! The visit to Eagle Bluff met several objectives for 5/6: Community-Building Building a sense of community at the beginning of middle school is a very important part of what we do at Friends School and who we are as a Quaker, progressive education school. We.. Read More
The Friends School of Minnesota Parent Involvement Committee and the Equity and Justice Committee invite you to explore and discuss the concept of identity in our personal and professional lives and learn about identity threat as explained in Claude M. Steele’s book, Whistling Vivaldi: How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do. FSM’s Diversity Coordinator, Rebecca Slaby, will introduce the concept of identity threat through video and readings, and facilitate.. Read More
Great results this Saturday at State History Day. We had 12 of our 7/8th graders compete at the state level. Ten went on to the second round of judging. Eight received Honorable Mentions in their categories. Noah and Flann placed for Nationals! We couldn’t be prouder of how hard each student worked! Documentary: Noah Solomon – First Place, Junior Individual Documentary, National qualifier Emilia Topp-Johnson – Honorable Mention John Gisselquist –.. Read More