Diversity
Diversity is at the heart of the Foote School mission and the way we live it. As individuals, we uniquely express our backgrounds, experiences, and beliefs. Through our relationships and programs, we recognize the inherent worth of each person and strive to respect, understand, and honor the value of all communities.
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The Foote School celebrates its commitment to diversity through:
- its organization, MOSAIC, for Multicultural, Open Minded, Supportive, Accepting, Inclusive, Community, which sponsors talks, gatherings, and educational events throughout the year
- student clubs such as F-STAND, or Foote Students Together Against Negativity and Discrimination
- annual events such as the All School Assembly for Martin Luther King Day
- special events, including Unite Through Understanding Day.
Read more about these initiatives below!
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Civil Rights Pioneer and Journalist Visits Foote
Charlayne Hunter-Gault, a prominent journalist who holds a place in civil rights history as one of two African-American students first admitted to the University of Georgia, visited Foote Mon., Feb. 4, to speak first to fifth grade students, then students in the middle school.
The morning before Ms. Hunter-Gault arrived, three eighth grade students gave a talk at a special middle school meeting about her life and important events in the civil rights movement. They had read portions of her newest work, “To the Mountaintop: My Journey Through the Civil Rights Movement,” (Jan. 2012, New York Times) and quoted some passages to students.
Later in the Twichell Room, Ms. Hunter-Gault recalled her childhood growing up in a segregated neighborhood in Georgia with her family. “My parents gave us a first-class sense of ourselves,” she said. “And my mother knew that dreams propel ambition.” She shared stories of civil rights leaders she had known over the years who had made a difference to democracy.
“Democracy is a messy process,” she said. “We need to work hard at it. We don’t have the village that we once had, but the village can be a region in your mind.”
She also spoke of her experience as a student at the University of Georgia, where she was met with racial taunts and violence. Still, she persevered and graduated in 1963, going on to a journalistic career at the New Yorker, the New York Times, the MacNeil/Lehrer Report, and National Public Radio. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including two National News and Documentary Emmy Awards and two Peabody Awards.
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Foote School Students Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday in Art and Words
An all school assembly on Fri., Jan 18, combined poetry, song, and art to honor the legacy of the renowned civil rights leader, including a slideshow that articulated lower school students' hopes for a brighter future for all.
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F-STAND (Foote Students Against Negativity and Discrimination)
This group works to help spread the message of the importance of being kind and inclusive and treating others with respect. The group was formed last year and had a great time working with third and fourth graders as well as the middle school. Our goal is to help spread a positive message throughout the school and make Foote an even better place. F-STAND is a unique club in that it does not have an appointed leader - we all take on leadership roles - taking equal responsibility for ensuring that we get the job done! We decide what activities we want to do and make it happen! The year begins with an interactive diversity leadership training session open to all eighth and ninth graders. _____________________________________________
The Foote School organization, MOSAIC, and its activities embody Foote's commitment to diversity.
MOSAIC supports the Foote School's mission of being inclusive, valuing differences, and challenging prejudice. MOSAIC sponsors speakers on a variety of topics, provides forums for discussion of issues about diversity, and plans multicultural events. The organization is open to all adult members of the Foote community.
2012-2013 MOSAIC events
Tues., April 23: Sharing Journeys from Arabic Homelands
Three Foote parents who were born and raised in Iraq and Lebanon shared their personal journeys to the United States from their homelands.
Tues., Nov. 27: An Experience in Language and Culture
An exploration of the many languages taught and spoken at The Foote School.
2011-2012 MOSAIC events
Thurs., Feb. 16: Unite Through Understanding Day
A Day That Helped Us To Learn About and Understand Others Read more about Unite Through Understanding Day
Mon., April 16: Author and poet Roya Hakakian
Read more about Roya Hakakian's visit to Foote
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