Equity, Diversity, & Belonging Committee

We value & appreciate diverse perspectives & experiences. Every voice is welcome!

Meeting Dates for the 24-25 School Year will be posted shortly. Join us to learn more and participate in our many ongoing projects.

Join with Google Meet: https://meet.google.com/bwk-jzjy-ubd
Or dial: (US) +1 513-760-6764 PIN: 215499478#

Learn more about Google Meet at: https://support.google.com/a/users/answer/9282720

What is EDB?

The Equity, Diversity, & Belonging Committee (EDB) is a collection of Horizons community and faculty members working together to create an environment for all students, families, staff to thrive and where everyone feels a sense of belonging.

EDB focuses on the following:

Offering support to teachers in delivering culturally relevant and historically accurate curriculum.

Providing staff with culturally relevant resources and supporting training to build culturally inclusive classrooms and curriculum.

Creating an environment where all students and families feel they belong.

Creating an environment for student and family inclusion by providing an educational space that values diverse perspectives, backgrounds and learning styles, as well as racial and religious diversity, meets physical and neurodiverse needs, and provides opportunities through a variety of clubs, classroom activities, and discussions to focus on equity and cultural practices, while seeking to increase student and family diversity through open enrollment and outreach.

Engaging the Horizons community in social justice education.

Engaging the community by inviting participation in EDB, sharing resources, and creating an environment for further exploration and discussion of equity within school policies, curriculum, and educational opportunities.

Where Can EDB’s Impact on the Community be Seen?

Supporting Staff:

In 2020, EDB supported the faculty’s work by initiating a partnership with WEEAC (Western Educational Equity Assistance Center). The first steps included a course on Implicit Bias and facilitated conversations about next steps for our school. As the partnership continues in the 21-22 school year, faculty will focus on three areas: policies and procedures, trauma-informed practices, and culturally responsive teaching. For more information about WEEAC visit https://temp.msudenver.edu/weeac/

Creating a Sense of Belonging:

Student requests to change the school mascot to a more inclusive symbol were met with enthusiasm by EDB, which organized a campaign inviting the entire student body to contribute ideas and original art. As with many organizations, EDB saw the Black Lives Matter movement and other current events in 2020 as a catalyst for change and a chance to create more engagement with the students and staff. EDB provided teachers and parents with access to age appropriate resources to help start, expand and further the discussion of equity.
As a means of increasing the socio-economic diversity of the school, EDB also proposed to Horizons Council and Board a revision to the open enrollment preferences that would provide priority to families who qualify as low-income according to the Family Economic Data Survey. This preference was approved by the Horizons Council in May of 2021 and by the Board in August, 2021. It is pending approval by BVSD.
EDB will continue focusing on expanding Open Enrollment outreach, launching the new Horizons Hawk mascot, and engaging the community in discussions surrounding what diversity and belonging looks like for them.

Engaging Community:

EDB provided families with the opportunity to participate in an online course and facilitated conversations around implicit bias. Additionally, EDB hosted book groups and discussion forums throughout the year. In the 2020-21 school year, EDB hosted group discussions about “Caste” by Isabel Wilkerson and promoted the One Book One Boulder event to discuss “So You Want to Talk About Race” with Ijeoma Oluo. Most recently, EDB hosted a discussion of the New York Times podcast “Nice White Parents”.

Student Expressions: Coming Soon

The Future of EDB

Horizons has committed, through the strategic planning process, to establish and gather tangible metrics as a way of ensuring EDB’s actions are working for the school.

EDB’S Guiding Questions:

How well does Horizons serve all students, families, and our community?
How do we ensure that Horizons is a truly welcoming and inclusive place, where all feel a sense of belonging?
How do we increase diversity and belonging of students, families, and staff at Horizons?
How do we strengthen the partnership between the EDB Committee and Horizons faculty?

In efforts to best serve all of our school, please let us know your thoughts:

Do you have a topic you would like to discuss or be discussed with the commitee?
How could we do better to serve all of the student/parent/teacher/staff community in our school?
Is there a topic you would like to know more about?
Is there a workshop/book/film you think would benefit our community?Which area(s) of interest are most important to you?

Feedback Form for the EDB Group: Please feel free to send us any feedback, questions, and suggestions for topics to be discussed at future meetings.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

2023/2024 Book Discussions and EVents

EDB is hosting a Banned Book Club. As a way to express dedication to promoting literacy and free expression we have chosen to host a book club with books that are children and young adult books. Please join us!

Melissa by Alex Gino
George thinks she'll have to keep this a secret forever. Then her teacher announces that their class play is going to be Charlotte's Web. George really, really, REALLY wants to play Charlotte. But the teacher says she can't even try out for the part....because she's a boy. With the help of her best friend Kelly, George comes up with a plan. Not just so she can be Charlotte-but so everyone can know who she is once and for all.

All Boys Aren't Blue by George M Johnson
Both a primer for teens eager to be allies as well as a reassuring testimony for young queer men of color, All Boys Aren't Blue covers topics such as gender identity, toxic masculinity, brotherhood, family, structural marginalization, consent, and Black joy. Johnson's emotionally frank style of writing will appeal directly to young adults.

New Kid (New Kid #1) by Jerry Craft
New Kid is a timely, honest graphic novel about starting over at a new school where diversity is low and the struggle to fit in is real, from award-winning author-illustrator Jerry Craft.

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
Sterling is an ordinary New Hampshire town where nothing ever happens--until the day its complacency is shattered by a school shooting. Josie Cormier, the daughter of the judge sitting on the case, should be the state's best witness, but she can't remember what happened before her very own eyes--or can she? As the trial progresses, fault lines between the high school and the adult community begin to show--destroying the closest of friendships and families. Nineteen Minutes asks what it means to be different in our society, who has the right to judge someone else, and whether anyone is ever really who they seem to be.

Dear Martin (Dear Martin #1) by Nic Stone
After a traffic stop turns violent at the hands of the police, a young Black teen grapples with racism—and what it means for his future. Critically acclaimed author Nic Stone boldly tackles America’s troubled history with race relations in her gripping debut novel.

The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman
Maus is a haunting tale within a tale. Vladek’s harrowing story of survival is woven into the author’s account of his tortured relationship with his aging father. Against the backdrop of guilt brought by survival, they stage a normal life of small arguments and unhappy visits. This astonishing retelling of our century’s grisliest news is a story of survival, not only of Vladek but of the children who survive even the survivors. Maus studies the bloody pawprints of history and tracks its meaning for all of us.

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood (Persepolis, #1) by Marjane Satrapi
In powerful black-and-white comic strip images, Satrapi tells the story of her life in Tehran from ages six to fourteen, years that saw the overthrow of the Shah’s regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, and the devastating effects of war with Iraq. The intelligent and outspoken only child of committed Marxists and the great-granddaughter of one of Iran’s last emperors, Marjane bears witness to a childhood uniquely entwined with the history of her country.

Past Book Discussions:

"The Gender Creative Child:Pathways for Nurturing and Supporting Children Who Live Outside Gender Boxes" by Diane Ehrensaft

"What Happened to you? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing" By Dr Bruce Perry and Oprah Winfrey

"Caste:The Origins of our Discontents" by Isabel Wilkerson

"Braiding Sweetgrass" by Robin Wall Kimmerer

"How to be an Anti-Racist" by Ibram X. Kendi

“So You Want to Talk About Race” by Ijeoma Oluo

"Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates

"White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism" by Robin Diangelo

In addition, EDB hosts a monthly Banned BookClub. We welcome suggestions!

Podcast Discussions

Community Discussion of “Nice White Parents” podcast
“A five-part series about building a better school system and what gets in the way.” New York Times July 2020.

Find the Podcast Here:

PARENT CORNER:

National Hispanic Heritage Month:

“The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society.”

https://www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov/

Article: PBS How to Talk Honestly with Children About Racism

https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/how-to-talk-honestly-with-children-about-racism

Article: Unicef Talking to Your Kids About Racism

https://www.unicef.org/parenting/talking-to-your-kids-about-racism

Article: Parent Your Age by Age Guide to Talking About Race

https://www.parents.com/parenting/better-parenting/teaching-tolerance/talking-about-race-with-kids/

KIDS CORNER:

Podcast Episode: But Why “A Discussion About Race and Racism”

https://www.vpr.org/programs/2020-06-17/but-why-live-a-discussion-about-race-and-racism#stream/0

Article: “Teacher explains equity tells students why they can’t be treated equally and it’s an eye opener”

https://scoop.upworthy.com/teacher-explains-equity-students-cant-be-treated-equally-kids-classroom-learning

Comité de Equidad, Diversidad y Bienvenida

Reuniones el segundo martes de cada mes, 5:30pm-7pm

Vínculo Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87451295034?pwd=ajlyNm9aRGFNWE5TUmQ5UVBBYWpIZz09

¿Qué es EDB?

El Comité de Diversidad, Equidad y Bienvenida (EDB) es un grupo de empleados y miembros de la comunidad de Horizons que trabajan juntos para crear un ambiente en el que todos los estudiantes, las familias y los empleados puedan prosperar y en donde todos se sientan bienvenidos. El EDB se enfoca en lo siguiente:

Apoyar a los maestros a implementar un plan de estudios culturalmente relevante.

Proveer a los empleados recursos culturalmente relevantes y apoyar entrenamientos para desarrollar aulas y planes de estudios culturalmente inclusivos.

Crear un ambiente en el que todos los estudiantes y familias se sientan bienvenidos.

Crear un ambiente para la inclusión de los estudiantes y familias, proporcionando un espacio académico que valora diversas perspectivas y estilos de aprendizaje, satisface necesidades físicas y neurodiversas y provee oportunidades mediante diferentes clubes, actividades en el aula y conversaciones que se enfoquen en prácticas equitativas y culturales mientras que se busca incrementar la diversidad de nuestros estudiantes y familias mediante las inscripciones abiertas y la expansión.

Colaborar con la comunidad de Horizons para la educación sobre la justicia social.

Colaborar con la comunidad mediante la participación en el EDB, compartir recursos y crear un ambiente que fomente la continua exploración y conversación sobre la equidad dentro de las políticas escolares, el plan de estudios y oportunidades educativas.

¿Dónde se puede observar el impacto del EDB en la comunidad?

Apoyo al personal:

En el 2020 el EDB apoyó el trabajo de los empleados iniciando una asociación con el Centro de Ayuda para la Equidad Educativa del Oeste (WEEAC, por sus siglas en inglés). Los primeros pasos incluyeron una clase sobre el sesgo implícito y conversaciones facilitadas sobre los próximos pasos en nuestra escuela. A medida que la asociación continúa en el año escolar 21-22, los empleados se enfocarán en tres áreas: políticas y procedimientos, prácticas informadas por el trauma y la enseñanza culturalmente sensible. Para más información sobre el WEEAC, visite: https://temp.msudenver.edu/weeac/

Crear un ambiente acogedor:

El EDB recibió con entusiasmo las peticiones de los estudiantes para cambiar la mascota escolar a un símbolo más inclusivo. Creó una campaña para invitar a todos los estudiantes a portar sus ideas y obras de arte originales. Al igual que muchas organizaciones, el EDB consideró al movimiento de Black Lives Matter y otros eventos del 2020 como catalizadores para el cambio y oportunidades para colaborar más con los estudiantes y empleados. El EDB les proporcionó a los maestros y padres acceso a recursos apropiados para la edad de sus hijos para ayudar a iniciar, ampliar y avanzar la conversación sobre la equidad.
Como un medio para aumentar la diversidad socioeconómica de la escuela, el EDB también propuso al Consejo de Horizons y el Consejo de Educación una revisión de las preferencias de inscripciones abiertas que le daría prioridad a las familias clasificadas como bajo ingreso, según la Encuesta de Datos de Finanzas Familiares. El Consejo de Horizons aprobó el cambio en mayo de 2021, y el Consejo lo aprobó en agosto del 2021. El cambio está esperando aprobación por el BVSD.
El EDB continuará enfocándose en ampliar la expansión mediante las inscripciones abiertas, finalizar el diseño de la nueva mascota (el Halcón de Horizons) y colaborar con la comunidad mediante conversaciones sobre cómo son la diversidad y el sentimiento de bienvenida para ellos.

Colaboración comunitaria:

El EDB ofreció a las familias la oportunidad de participar en una clase virtual y otras conversaciones facilitadas sobre el sesgo implícito. El EDB también organizó grupos de lectura y foros de discusión a lo largo del año, En el año escolar 2020-21, el EDB organizó grupos de discusión sobre Caste, por Isabel Wilkerson, y promovió el evento de One Book One Boulder para hablar sobre So You Want to Talk About Race, por Ijeoma Oluo. Recientemente, el EDB organizó una discusión sobre el podcast del New York Times: Nice White Parents.

Expresiones estudiantiles:

https://app.seesaw.me/#/item/item.bd28b154-4c34-44c1-8b06-cf7a8d59e68d/share/rerxqjsOTNap0WiwDJ31pg

El futuro del EDB

Horizons se ha comprometido con usar un proceso de planificación estratégica para establecer y reunir medidas reales, a fin de garantizar que las acciones del EDB tengan un efecto beneficioso para la escuela.

Las preguntas principales del EDB:

¿Qué tan bien logra Horizons servir a todos los estudiantes, familias y miembros de nuestra comunidad?
¿Cómo garantizamos que Horizons sea un lugar realmente acogedor e inclusivo, en todos todos se sientan bienvenidos?
¿Cómo incrementamos la diversidad y el sentimiento de bienvenida de nuestros estudiantes, familias y empleados en Horizons?
¿Cómo fortalecemos la colaboración entre el Comité de EDB y el personal de Horizons?

RECURSOS ADICIONALES:

El EDB publica varios enlaces a artículos pertinentes, interesantes y provocativos en la página de Facebook de los Padres de Horizons. Enlace: Padres y familias de HK8.

Pasados eventos y discusiones de libros del EDB:

Conversación comunitaria sobre el podcast de Nice White Parents

“Una serie en cinco partes sobre cómo crear un mejor sistema escolar y los obstáculos para hacerlo”. New York Times julio 2020.

El podcast está disponible en:

Conversación comunitaria sobre So You Want to Talk About Race por Ijeoma Oluo.

Puede acceder al audio libro gratis en la aplicación de Hoopla usando su tarjeta de la biblioteca:

https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/12376341

Puede acceder a Caste en varios formatos diferentes aquí: https://louisville.flatironslibrary.org/GroupedWork/f0933b59-ab3b-98ad-222a-1da69fc78c11/Home?searchId=27822284&recordIndex=1&page=1&searchSource=local

Aquí hay algunos ejemplos que se compartieron con la comunidad en el pasado:

ESQUINA DE LOS PADRES:

Mes Nacional de Herencia Cultural Hispana:

“La Biblioteca del Congreso, Archivos Nacionales y Administración de Registros, Fondo Nacional para las Humanidades, Galería Nacional de las Artes, Servicio Nacional de Parques, Institución Smithsonian y el Museo Estadounidense Conmemorativo del Holocausto se asocian para alabar a las generaciones de hispanoamericanos que han tenido un efecto positivo y que enriquecieron a nuestra nación y sociedad”.

https://www.hispanicheritagemonth.gov/

Artículo: PBS: Cómo hablar con los niños honestamente sobre el racismo

https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/how-to-talk-honestly-with-children-about-racism

Artículo: Unicef: Cómo hablar con sus hijos sobre el racismo

https://www.unicef.org/parenting/talking-to-your-kids-about-racism

Artículo: Parents: Guía para hablar sobre el racismo dependiendo de la edad

https://www.parents.com/parenting/better-parenting/teaching-tolerance/talking-about-race-with-kids/