In December a group of nine students attended the IDEAS Conference.

Initiatives for Developing Equity and Achievement for Students (IDEAS), a program of EDCO, facilitated a Student Leadership Conference for  11th, and 12th grade students from member high schools. The purpose of the conference was to engage students from a range of racial and ethnic backgrounds in conversations on issues of racism, intolerance, discrimination, and allied behavior.



GOALS OF CONFERENCE:

• To provide students with the opportunity to learn from each other and build      community within and across racial/ethnic groups
• To recognize different forms of discrimination and racism in our schools and society
• To recognize and challenge stereotypes
• To explore and understand the many aspects of identity
• To provide the opportunity for students to have affinity group conversations
• To recognize the importance of advocacy and being an ally for others
• To be able to inform districts about how students from different racial/ethnic groups perceive their school experience

The following students participated in the conference:
Nimisha Thakkar, Jason Wu, Riya Kamani, Akhila John, Colin Nguyen, Arya Nagraj, Stavan Shah, Luis Villalta and Aida Gachago

After participating in the conference the students were challenged to head back to their school to make change!

The Students worked with the previously created Humans of BHS club to continue and build upon their mission of supporting diversity in their school.

The students in Humans of BHS worked on the following collaborative projects this year:

1. Humans of BHS Foreign Language Mission Statement
Students are going to recite the BHS Mission Statement in a wide variety of foreign languages at the beginning of the school day. 

2. Interfaith Panel Diversity Stories
​Students recorded themselves expressing different encounters they have had, good/bad, regarding their religion/belief system. This will become part of Interfaith Panel for the BPS educators Professional Development.

3. Weekly Peer Interviews 
Students interview students/faculty about any encounters, questions, opinions, or experiences they have had

4.Instagram: humansofburlma. Students created an Instagram account to showcase the diversity at BHS

​The Digital Publishing class is now featured in the Cambridge Street Gallery by the cafeteria. 

Feel free to bring your students down to view the exhibition! Below are a few Q&A's that will help you and your students understand the purpose of Digital Publishing along with a few images of our published work.

Q: What is the Digital Publishing Team?
A: The Digital Publishing team consists of students in grades 9-12 creating professional graphics, logos, posters, and marketing materials for the Burlington public schools, the local community, and beyond (ie we are a mini design agency). Students may take the Digital Publishing class any year and no design experience is necessary.

Q: Who can request graphic design services?
A: Anyone who is looking for simple graphics services is welcome to make a request by emailing mistler@bpsk12.org. Services are free, and sometimes a client will give the student winner a small token of appreciation or donate to the BHS Art scholarship fund. 

Q: Is Digital Publishing taking requests for the 2018-2019 school year?
A: YES! We are looking for work for next year. Students love to design art for clients and see their art published out in the world. We are currently working on a logo for an indie production company based in Central Massachusetts.