By Sophia Briggs
At Freehold Township High School in Freehold, NJ, a small yet significant student-led organization is making big strides in their community. Lead for Diversity (LFD), led by educators Professor Angello Villarreal and Mrs. Meghan Kiernan, is a club containing approximately fifteen students in both 11th and 12th grade.
Although its goal is to promote inclusivity, the committee is chosen through a rigorous application process to assure that those in the club are capable of handling the activities and conversations that involve current events and issues, such as those involving discrimination, sexuality, gender, race, religion, and more. This is also done to assure that Lead for Diversity can make the greatest impact possible by having students right for the job of creating a community that celebrates its differences in a world where it is too easy to find hate, especially if that world is high school.
Speaking of which, the concept of high school being a place of stereotypes, stigmas, and social hierarchy is pretty evident across all high schools in America and no school is exempt from these challenges. Therefore, it can be difficult for a group such as LFD to approach and combat these challenges, but the group does so in many ways with support of not only the Executive Board, but also teachers and administrators.
One of the most influential aspects of LFD is the program known as “Stop Little Inappropriate Phrases”, or SLIP, and has the goal of changing people’s perspectives rather than punishing them. It involves holding monthly meetings, led by members of LFD, for students found participating in inappropriate and offensive behavior regarding race, sex, gender, religion, etc. Here, the LFD members, as well as a moderator, discuss with the student what happened and why it was wrong using a restorative approach. This is done by simply asking questions about the situation and playing songs and speeches for the students, such as Maya Angelou’s “Power of Words.”
While SLIP meetings have been a big responsibility for LFD for many years, the club has made huge accomplishments in the past school year. For instance, at a student leadership conference at Kean University in the fall, they earned their first official accolade; the Joy Prescott Humanitarian Award, given to them by the university’s Diversity Council on Global Education and Citizenship. But, things only got better from there.
After Kean University, the club began to plan a way for them to reach out to the future generations of high school students, given they had seen how many of their peers were being unknowingly or unapologetically inconsiderate towards other people. To tackle this issue, LFD visited all the 3rd grade classes in all five elementary schools in the Freehold Township School District in March and April of 2024. The club made a presentation about empathy with the hopes of teaching the elementary school students how to respect others through their words, actions, body language, tone of voice, and more. This proved to have a significant impact on the classes, as many students raised their hands and spoke of times when they used empathy after the presentation, even though they didn’t know what the word “empathy” meant when it began.
Lastly, Lead for Diversity was then granted yet another award this past school year by U.S. Congressmen Andy Kim, where he highlighted the board’s actions and their influence on New Jersey’s Third District.
Although Lead for Diversity had a very successful 2023-2024 school year, they aren’t done yet. This fall, LFD is hoping to pursue the great experience of getting to hear the infamous Ruby Bridges speak at Monmouth University, in recognition of the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board Education. We had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Bernice King in 2023 at Monmouth University, daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
One message that Dr. Bernice King shared, specifically to LFD, related to creating a change in our schools and communities is: “…don’t wait for the adults to make the decisions. Start creating the changes you need within your group of friends, your classrooms. Never stop!”
Events such as these are essential to LFD, as they provide further education about the value of individuality and inclusion, which inspires them to continue to teach others the same.
In conclusion, it’s safe to say there aren’t many organizations out there that are like Freehold Township’s Lead for Diversity. Not many high school clubs can say that they have the bravery or capability of discussing and promoting cultural inclusivity, especially since these issues are often highly debated or criticized in this modern age where hatred and violence can be found both everywhere you look. Even though LFD might not be able to solve all of the world’s issues, they are certainly doing their best to solve those in their community, one student at a time.
The American Consortium for Equity in Education, publisher of the "Equity & Access" journal, celebrates and connects the educators, associations, community partners and industry leaders who are working to solve problems and create a more equitable environment for historically underserved pre K-12 students throughout the United States.
- American Consortium for Equity in Educationhttps://ace-ed.org/author/admin/
- American Consortium for Equity in Educationhttps://ace-ed.org/author/admin/
- American Consortium for Equity in Educationhttps://ace-ed.org/author/admin/
- American Consortium for Equity in Educationhttps://ace-ed.org/author/admin/
