Juniors and seniors from Sacramento Country Day School attended the Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC), organized by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS).
The annual conference, which took place in Denver, Colo., Dec. 4-7, helped attendees learn valuable leadership skills and brainstorm ideas to create a more diverse and inclusive school environment.
The theme for the 2024 event was “Lifting as We Climb: Elevating Our Schools through Love and Justice.” Seniors Ceci DeBerry and Sundiata Dumisani and juniors Ferishta Halim and Ava Levermore attended, along with Middle and High School learning specialist Tara Adams and English teacher Hannah Hohle as chaperones. Interested students filled out a Google Form sent in August, and four were selected to attend the conference.
Although Hohle has gone to NAIS events before, she said this was her first time being a chaperone for the students. She felt it was important to go, not only because of her own past experiences with diversity issues, but also for her students.
“Growing up in predominantly white towns on the East Coast, I often was the only Asian, or person of color, so sometimes people judged me based on stereotypes,” Hohle said. “However, I’ve always gotten a lot out of going to these conferences while learning about issues of diversity, and thinking about how I can be a better teacher, educator and mentor to students.”
According to the NAIS website, the conference is a “multiracial, multicultural gathering of student leaders from eligible independent high schools across the U.S. and abroad.”
Upon arriving at the event, each of the students were divided into “family groups” (defined by the NAIS website as groups that “allow for dialogue and sharing in smaller units”) where they were given time to form a community network with their group members and collaborate with other students from across the United States. Levermore said she never felt uncomfortable opening up to her group and valued the connections she made with others.
“I built on existing relationships I had with kids that attended Country Day, and built new relationships as well,” Levermore said. “On the last day, we all sat in different groups and discussed what we would implement in our schools and what we liked about the conference.”
Students selected their affinity groups that best represented them at the conference, the only restriction being students had to share the identity of their chosen group. Levermore joined the Black Affinity Group while Halim joined the Middle Eastern Affinity Group. Both enjoyed the focus on unity and inclusion.
“The Black Affinity Group was designed to support Black people, to help them find connection, support and inspiration,” Levermore said. “I enjoyed the conference. Particularly the affinity groups where I connected with many hijabis like myself. These moments of connection were meaningful, especially since there aren’t many hijabis or Muslims,” Halim said.
By the end of the conference, both Levermore and Halim had significant takeaways and ideas they felt should be implemented at school. “A key takeaway that I had from the conference was the power of shared identity and experience in creating strong, supportive communities,” Halim said. “The opportunity to connect with others who share your identity and experiences can deepen your understanding on the importance of inclusion and empathy in leadership.”
One specific idea Levermore wants to implement at Country Day is an event called “Unfiltered,” where students have a safe space to voice their thoughts and emotions. “One student said at their school, they did an event called ‘Unfiltered,’ where students can go to a safe space at school to talk about what makes them upset or confused. People would listen, and there would be changes made to better benefit the community of the school,” Levermore said.
Additionally, Levermore feels in order to help her community, Country Day could partner with other private schools to share diversity initiatives and implement them in the community to benefit the students.
Halim wants to implement resources for students to feel more comfortable with being who they are, along with support for them to do so. “I hope to have initiatives that foster connections among students with shared identities, such as affinity groups or diversity events,” Halim said in an email. “Creating spaces where students feel seen, heard and supported could help cultivate a more inclusive and welcoming environment at school.”
Both Levermore and Halim believe that conferences like NAIS are valuable for students and entire school communities. By attending yearly conferences and interacting with others from similar backgrounds, say Halim and Levermore, new ideas are spread and created with the goals of inclusion, diversity and support for those who need it.
“Conferences like NAIS are important because they show you that you’re not the only one experiencing certain diversity, equity and inclusion issues at school. It shows that other students across the United States are experiencing the same things and that there are ways to overcome them,” Levermore said.
– Parsiny Nijher
