Students Take Control of School’s Wellbeing
“The SPARC experience has been so rewarding,” says student Max Fowler. “We students had full control over something that we really care about, the wellbeing of our wonderful school.” Fowler was one of 11 participants, all in Grade 10, in a year-long collaborative research project focused on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging.
SPARC is a research consortium that mobilizes student insights and voices to improve school culture, policy and practice. The students presented their findings at the SPARC Roundtable on April 25, where they fielded questions from their peers at other independent schools and gleaned important insights into other schools’ cultures.
Crescent students explored two issues and put forward the following recommendations:
Belonging in the House System - Create more leadership opportunities for boys to further engage their House brothers in House activities; create a more diverse set of House activities; allow for communication to come from student leaders on platforms more conducive to connecting with fellow students.
Impact of Unconscious Bias - Allow more student agency and engagement when creating assemblies and events that inform and celebrate different cultures; continue to build safe forums and protocols for important conversations about unconscious bias within affinity groups or Mentor groups.
“I have enjoyed the SPARC experience immensely,” says Luke Hilborn, another participant. “It has been a way for me to help the Crescent community alongside my Crescent Brothers. SPARC has also helped me develop research skills that will undoubtedly be beneficial in the future.”
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Crescent students explored two issues and put forward the following recommendations:
Belonging in the House System - Create more leadership opportunities for boys to further engage their House brothers in House activities; create a more diverse set of House activities; allow for communication to come from student leaders on platforms more conducive to connecting with fellow students.
Impact of Unconscious Bias - Allow more student agency and engagement when creating assemblies and events that inform and celebrate different cultures; continue to build safe forums and protocols for important conversations about unconscious bias within affinity groups or Mentor groups.
“I have enjoyed the SPARC experience immensely,” says Luke Hilborn, another participant. “It has been a way for me to help the Crescent community alongside my Crescent Brothers. SPARC has also helped me develop research skills that will undoubtedly be beneficial in the future.”
