What is the class?
Emily Mehl: “Equity in action, cultural leadership, [the class] collaborates closely with [Black Student Union, Asian American and Pacific Islander Club, and LatinX Club.] Although students don’t have to be from [those] affinity groups to be [able to] forecast or take the class. It will be similar to the leadership class that we already have, except our lens and focus will be on equity.”
What credits will students receive from taking this class?
Mehl: “It’s an elective credit. Students can take the class multiple semesters; it’s offered as a semester-long class, but you [can] retake it over and over. We do have different texts or readings that we do within the class. They’ll always be different every semester, so that people don’t feel like it’s a total repeat, but also because we’re going to need student input.”
What inspired you to pitch this class for next year?
Mehl: “I started thinking about how we have all this great work we want to do, but we don’t have a lot of time to do it. Lots of great ideas and things to better the school, and to make our school provide more opportunities for cultural learning or diversity around the school. [We] just don’t have a lot of time, so that’s where the class started from.”
What do you hope students will gain in taking this class?
Mehl: “I’m hoping that kids will feel empowered to understand [that their] voice matters and can make a change. I’m hoping that students will maybe learn a little bit about leadership and how to put their good ideas into action in a way that’s efficient and impactful, [as well as] also [feeling] empowered to do so.”
Who would you recommend this class for?
Mehl: “Active participants in our three affinity groups (BSU, AAPI, LatinX) would be great, because we are going to be putting a lot of things into action and working closely with the three affinity groups. [Also] kids that care about social justice, that care about being a strong ally or advocate for underrepresented groups. We would want students who are here ready to listen and to learn from others, be empathetic, hear other perspectives, and be ready to move forward [positively].”
