Ninth Annual Summit Honors the Past and Looks to the Future

“We recognized as planners that we’re in a moment in history where the structures we’ve relied on are in flux,” said Selas Douglas, associate head of school for inclusive excellence. “Our theme was centered around the idea that even though structures around us may be shifting, we still have agency as individuals. We still have the capacity to support one another in community.”

The co-founders of SSSJ, Karen Brown and Ali Morgan, received a warm welcome as they returned to campus as this year’s featured speakers, helping to celebrate the Summit’s ninth year. Brown, the former director of equity and inclusion at Masters, now serves as the director of cultural competency and inclusion at Savannah Country Day School in Georgia. Morgan, an educational consultant, is the former director of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Rye Country Day School.

“One of the things I was so excited for Karen to see in her return was just how much progress we’ve been able to make on the foundation she laid out for us,” Douglas said. “Our program is able to thrive because of the hard work she did to provide stability to our programming around identity and belonging.”

Valentina Valdivia ’27 facilitated a discussion on the 1970s reconstruction of the South Bronx. In reflecting on the day, the diversity ambassador said, “I thought it was really encouraging to see Ms. Brown, who was part of the Masters community, coming back and sharing new experiences and new perspectives, and you see how SSSJ and Masters has had a consistent role in that.”

Co-hosted by Masters and Rye Country Day School and organized by the Center for Inclusive Excellence, the event brought together nearly 120 students and educators from the host schools and nine area schools: Emma Willard, Ethical Culture Fieldston, French-American School of New York, Holy Child Rye, King, Pierrepont, Rippowan Cisqua, Sacred Heart Greenwich and Calhoun. 

It was a day filled with meaningful reflection and discussion. Workshops and affinity group conversations, facilitated by Masters’ student diversity ambassadors, centered around such subjects as stereotypes, microaggressions, intersectionality, diversity in media, and equity and health in cities. 

As a first-time facilitator, Ceriah Clarke ’27, a diversity ambassador who led a workshop on environmental racism, felt things went well: “A lot of the time we talk about how diverse Masters is and this is one of those events where you can really see it clearly and it's just a place to offer a safe space for all the different perspectives and experiences that people have.”

Attendees left campus inspired. “This was a fantastic year,” Douglas reflected. “The facilitators were well prepared and held the space like seasoned practitioners. They are what make the day possible, and the energy they bring is what allows the student participants to feel seen and valued. I couldn’t be more proud.”