I had the pleasure of taking 12 CA Middle School students to the Annual Students Taking Action and Making Progress (STAMP) conference in October at History Colorado. STAMP empowers middle school youth with tools to build more inclusive communities in their home schools by exposing them to dynamic and thought provoking workshops facilitated by high school students. The CA students who took part went through a selection process by completing a written essay and application.

 

For six weeks before “show time,” I worked closely with seven of CA’s Upper School students, along with students from Kent Denver, Regis Jesuit, St. Mary’s Academy, and East High School. In its third year, STAMP is the brainchild of Carla Mestas, Director of Diversity and Inclusiveness at Stanley British Primary School, which is the student conference derived from the adult CIRCLE (Connecting Inclusive Responsive Communities Leading Education) conference.

 

Every Monday for two hours after school, 30 high school students would gather at a partner school and fine tune their workshops that followed a mandatory four-hour training session each leader had to participate in. Faculty from various schools (Logan, Alexander Dawson, Graland and the schools mentioned above) served as resources and guides for each group and their workshop. CA was fully invested and committed; this was the first time we had high school representation.

 

The student leaders crafted their workshops based on what they thought middle school students would be interested in. The following are the workshops that our students attended:

 

It was a special experience. We arrived at History Colorado (some rode from campus on the microbus with me, others met us downtown) and after I had us take a group photo in front of the large “Colorful Colorado” sign in the main lobby, we were greeted in the auditorium by energetic high school students in waves of purple—they were ready for us, and we were ready for them.

 

The opening ceremony began with a four-direction blessing, a native American tradition to set sacred space and bring in energy of the ancestors, by Mr. David Atekpatzin Young. Dr. Eddie Moore Jr., founder of the White Privilege Conference, and guest speaker in the “I’m not Racist…Am I?” documentary recently shown at CA, delivered a keynote address on leadership and examining what it really takes to be an effective leader.

 

Each student took away some valuable lessons. At the conclusion of STAMP, they wrote what they learned, how they could make a difference and help make their home school more inclusive. Some takeaways were that in order to be a leader you must love yourself; don’t force your opinions, views, or beliefs on others; don’t judge, label, or stereotype; and to improve, don’t repeat past mistakes. The students also wrote on their poster the following:

 

At CA we can make a difference by

 

Although I was the faculty advisor for the “Do You Hear What I Hear” workshop, I wanted to see our CA student leaders and participants in action. With my camera at the ready, I snapped some footage of curiosity and engagement. At all turns, no matter the workshop, I was proud to witness the level of participation that the students exhibited themselves.

 

CA Middle School and Upper School students will present their experiences at faculty and town hall meetings. They will also be able to plan workshops for their peers that will serve as a springboard for CA’s forthcoming diversity and inclusion day.

 

“I look forward to using what we have learned to make CA a better place and community.” – Galilea Landa-Posas, 6th

 

“I realized we had all come together to become better leaders. The keynote speaker challenged us think about real leadership versus the ‘handed down’ model.” – Lilly Clowes, 7^th

 

“Each class taught and provided us with experiences and knowledge that will allow us as students to expedite the process of making our world a better place.” - Salman Husain, 8th

 

“I would recommend this conference to any middle schooler, and I think I would enjoy being a workshop leader when I get to high school. Everyone should be open minded enough to greet diversity with open arms and be inclusive towards all.” – Will Smart, 8th

 

“The STAMP conference was an opportunity for me to think about media’s influence, gender equality, and diversity. My experience at the STAMP has made me more aware of what I say and do.” – Ruthie Angevine, 8th

 

“One thing that resonated through my work with STAMP, and that I will continue to carry with me, was that working together as a community, no matter how big or how small, allows for amazing things to happen that one person cannot do alone. If I could go back in time, I’d most definitely do STAMP all four years of high school, and who knows where that experience would have led me.“ - Noah Jones, 12th