AWSP Blog

What are you doing for MLK Day this year? How are you creating light for others? What is your school doing to make sure everyone belongs and feels humanity? If you don't have your MLK Day celebration plans already, or even if you do and would like to supplement them, I would highly advise you to check out the I AM | WE ARE program James and the AWSL team put together. There's a version for elementary and secondary. Both versions include the keynote address, an implementation guide, and discussion questions.

October is full of many events, happenings, and holidays that are woven into our schools' fabric. Homecomings, spirit days, and Halloween festivities take shape and create a sense of camaraderie, connection, and even fun for students and the community. One tricky aspect of navigating dress-up days and even Halloween festivities: being aware, sensitive, and mindful of cultural appropriation. As you consider your school's community and cultural context, what shifts can be made to ensure dress-up days become opportunities for fun and unity rather than opportunities for pain and harm?

As part of our celebrity Summer Conference news interview series, Dr. Scott Seaman and Communications & Technology Director David Morrill joined Kraken broadcaster Everett Fitzhugh to talk about his path to the NHL as the first black play-by-play hockey announcer. He has a unique story about culture and belonging and shares how the Kraken is breaking down barriers and creating a diverse, inclusive staff in a sport where that's the exception and not the norm. Everett has great stories, insight, lessons, and plenty of humor. You'll want to watch all the way to the end for this one.

Building Changes is an organization whose mission is to “advance equitable responses to homelessness in Washington State, with a focus on children, youth, and families and the systems that serve them.” They recently shared an important planning document for school districts to use as they develop their Academic and Student Well-Being Recovery Plans.  In addition to significant amounts of federal funding coming to school districts to help with learning recovery and supports for students, there are federal funds coming to districts that are specifically designed to “identify, provide wraparound services to, and assist students experiencing homelessness in attending schools and participating fully in school activities.”

This past Tuesday, a jury in Minnesota found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of murder and manslaughter in George Floyd’s death. This poignant and pivotal moment represents another chapter in our country's dialog on policing and race relations. As educators, we should use it to elevate our conversations on race, on justice and accountability, and on the future of our communities.