(from Kael’s Jupiter message on June 1)

Dear Hillside Community,
As you know, among our school’s basic beliefs is that everyone is of value and has a gift to develop and share with the world—and that everyone deserves a safe, respectful environment where it is possible to do that. America’s core ideals of “liberty and justice for all” express similar tenets. However, our country has yet to fulfil those ideals. Recent events have underlined not only the inequities related to a pandemic, but also the infection of racism, reinforcing the sad reality that not all our citizens have equal access to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Over the last few days, in response to violence, protests have spread across the country demanding justice. Some protesters have in turn become violent. After centuries of oppression, such a reaction might seem inevitable. While anger is understandable, however, healing requires medicine, not a club. We need to talk about what that medicine is.

On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr., gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington. He said:

This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.

Dr. King promoted non-violent methods of change, but he expressed impatience with those who wanted him to “wait”. He believed that change was needed now. His “now” was fifty-seven years ago. He made an important difference, but our country still has to pull itself out of the quick sands to the rock of justice.

We want our Hillside community to be safe, but learning and growing often mean being uncomfortable and risking mistakes, being open to difficult discussions, and to seeking solutions.

We at Hillside do not have the answers, but we are trying to ask the right questions and engage in conversations to help our nation move towards justice.

Please join us in working to fulfill Dr. King’s powerful words. Please let us know what questions you have. We believe in our students’ ability to be a powerful force to build a more equitable world.

Here are a few resources and a discussion for tomorrow to help us have some of these challenging conversations:

· The Brooklyn Friends School has put together an event with “I run with Maud,” a group seeking justice for Ahmaud Arbery. A group of Ahmaud’s friends and family will discuss racism and what each of us can do to seek justice and create change. It is scheduled for Tuesday, June 2, at 2:30 pm Pacific Time. For more information and to RSVP, follow this link: brooklynfriends.org/justiceforahmaud/.
· USA Today – George Floyd. Ahmaud Arbery. Breonna Taylor. What do we tell our children?
· King5 – How we talk to our kids about race, racism, and identity
· Teaching Tolerance – Beyond the Golden Rule
· New York Times – Race/Related Weekly Newsletter
· The National Association of School Psychologists (paste the link below into your browser) has good points and resources for talking to children about violence, race, and privilege. nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasponline.org%2Fresources-and-publications%2Fresources-and-podcasts%2Fdiversity%2Fsocial-justice%2Funderstanding-race-and-privilege&data=02%7C01%7Cbrownma%40bsd405.org%7C6a90673ffa4541932daa08d805e9f0f9%7C994a41397c06491e809879006d575de0%7C1%7C0%7C637265849910761623&sdata=KZub%2BPSBwz%2BK3wqrZDCPl55zLssZbi3rqirSnOn69AM%3D&reserved=0

Take Care.

Kael, several Hillside Staff, and Board

What’s Happening at Hillside

Spotlight On…

Bake Off

Friday, 5/29 marked the first ever Hillside Virtual Bake-Off! Eight families competed, & made lemon meringue pies. The event was delicious, & we look forward to doing it again.

Founders Day/Fly Up

July 9^th is the birthday of Hillside’s founder, Edith Sherrard. To honor her, we call it Founders Day, & traditionally hold our 6^th grade Fly Up ceremony. The purpose of the ceremony is to recognize the 6^th graders as they transition to the Upper School. While normally this is a Hillside-only event, we will leverage the silver lining of online connection by making it a Zoom webinar that family, extended family, & friends can attend. Please mark your calendars for 11:40 on June 9^th. A Zoom invitation will be sent out school-wide soon.

Drama Production

On June 19^th This year’s Drama Production is an original piece which will be performed live over Zoom. Jean describes it as rated PG-13, so join us if you dare! A Zoom invitation will be sent out as the show becomes closer.

Graduation

Hillside’s graduation will look different than previous years due to COVID-19’s impact. We are still working out the details to honor the graduates. Despite the limited, we are determined to show them just how proud we are. Stay tuned for more information!

American Literature Projects

Please enjoy some powerful images from Brynne’s American Literature class.

Events Calendar

Tuesday, June 9
Founder’s Day—11:40 a.m.

Thursday, June 18
Last Day of School

Friday, June 19
Live Drama Performance: Upper School Production—8:30 p.m.

Saturday, June 20
Graduation