Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

With Thanksgiving break approaching, we wanted to share and highlight what our DEI office has been doing since the beginning of the school year. Please feel free to view the pictures of students and staff engaging in activities around our community.

Yours in Equity,

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Department

The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is pleased to announce that Bailey Tighe, an English teacher at the High School, will be our new Equity Ambassador for the District. Bailey has worked already been working closely with the DEI/METCO Program Director.

Bailey has been doing equity work for the past several years including a certificate program on DEI leadership through eCornell, and this past year has enrolled in Antioch University’s Ed.D. program for educational leadership and professional practice with a focus on multicultural and anti-racist education. Her focus is on the study of whiteness and the role it plays in equity work in suburban public education. She is a TeachPlus Massachusetts policy fellow for the 2022-23 school year working on policy that will ensure equitable funding for schools in the Commonwealth. She is passionate about making Walpole Schools a more equitable place for all students and has some great ideas about how to impact systemic change in our district.

We are excited to have Bailey in this role. Please feel free to reach out to her if you have any questions or need any support for equity work in your classroom at btighe@walpole.k12.ma.us.

Welcome aboard Bailey!

On Tuesday, November 22, new district staff members including k-5 and grades 6-12 teachers came together at Walpole High School to analyze and discuss various scenarios that address Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The group conversation was faciliated by METCO/DEI Director, Jesenia Burke and the district's new Equity Ambassador and WHS English Teacher, Bailey Tighe. In smaller groups staff talked about how to identify and address biases in challenging situations, and then discussed how to begin creating strategies and tools to advance their equity work!

Below pictures of New Staff Orientation held at Walpole High School.

On Monday, October 17th Dr. Kalise Warnum, sought-after keynote speaker and educational leader on cultural proficiency visited the Walpole Public Library to facilitate a staff training on how to create culturally inclusive classrooms that acknowledge the diversity of all students. Many WPS staff members were in attendance including all of the district's administrators and Walpole's Equity Task Force. Dr. Warnum's interactive presentation left staff and teachers with creative strategies to enhance learning for students through incorporating inclusive classroom practices.

Walpole Educators of Color Affinity Group has returned and we had our first meeting of the year on Tuesday, October 11th at the Walpole Public Library. This super exciting network of educators of color has grown, and continues to serve as a safe, voluntary, and friendly space for WPS educators and staff of color in our district to come together in an environment where we make up the majority. The intent is that this gathering provides educators and staff with an opportunity to discuss shared experiences, network, and support one another. The #2 Educators of Color Affinity Group meeting will take place on Monday, December 12th.

The Equity task force will focus on what equity in action looks like in our Schools and District. At the first meeting WPS staff and educators talked about how to bring equitable practices to classrooms, and ways to empower all educators at every level when "marking the moment"! The second Equity Task Force meeting brought together educators and staff to discuss the subject matter of self identity in order to facilitate thoughtful conversation on overcoming biases and stereotypes. The next Equity Task Force Meeting will take place on Thursday, December 15th where we will focus on the findings of the Equity Audit.

For once a month, Courageous Conversations invites the whole WHS community for a 1 hour group discussion pertaining to various topics about race and diversity in our school community. At the last meeting in honor of Native American Heritage Month in November, staff and attendees discussed internal versus external perceptions of the individual, and talked about ways we can defy categorizing different groups of people given our own biases and learned experiences. The next Courageous Conversation meeting will occur on Wednesday, December 7th after school in the large media conference room.

Beyond The Classroom Podcasts is back! This year WPS educators and staff came together once again to shoot the breeze on a plethora of educational topics for the purpose of striving to inform and also entertain you with our insightful and thought provoking banter. Some topics covered so far this year include (1) "How do we create bravery for having courageous conversations in our schools?", (2) " What have been some of your best and most challenging experiences in education?", and (3) "How do you feel empowered to express yourself and have a voice in your school?" The next recording will take place on Wednesday, December 14th and is a fun and creative opportunity open to all staff. For inquiries of participation email Mr. Courtney Sanders at casanders@walpole.k12.ma.us

High school students came together on Timberwolf Wednesday to watch and discuss racial themes from the film Hidden Figures, and to learn about the annual Tenacity Challenge. The Tenacity Challenge, a statewide academic scholarship competition held for Massachusetts high school African-American and Latinx students from urban and suburban communities allows students to compete in 4 categories: Math Quiz Bowl, Literature Response, Social Studies Argument and Tenacity Mural for the chance to earn scholarship money towards their college education. This year we hope to have our first high school team from Walpole compete! The competition will be held on Saturday, April 29, 2023 @ Bedford High School. We are trying to get at least a team of 4-6 members to register. If you (or someone you know) might be interested, please email Ms. C. Giblin at cgiblin@walpole.k12.ma.us or Ms. U. Robinson at urobinson@walpole.k12.ma.us.

To learn more information about the challenge please visit https://www.tenacitychallenge.com

Our 2022 Equity Audit is now available. Please see the link below.

https://cdn5-ss5.sharpschool.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server_3008510/File/Mary%20Mortali%20document%20folder/Strategic%20Plan/2022/Walpole%20Equity%20Audit%20Report.pdf

*Throughout the year, we will be working with both the school district and the community to help guide the recommendations of this audit.

Equity Mission Statement

WPS community members have a shared responsibility to create educational spaces that embrace diversity and belonging. In addition to cultivating relationships with our students, we must acknowledge and work to eliminate bias in order to affirm and promote inclusivity.