West LA Times

Brentwood School issued the following announcement on Apr. 22. 

As you already know, on the East Campus this week, we had a full day devoted to community and belonging. With Charles Vogl as our keynote speaker, and following the program design created by Pollyanna, we had a wonderful day of learning, reflection, and connection. The evening before, Charles facilitated a Zoom session for parents and guardians that was equally impactful.

While it is impossible to capture the breadth and depth of what transpired during these times, there are some takeaways that I wanted to share:

1. Both days began with an acknowledgement of the prevalence of loneliness in the world today. According to Mr. Vogl, the current decade is the most lonely one in the last 180 years. While we could spend hours dissecting the causes, from the shallowness of social media to the impact of COVID-19 over the past two years, Charles resisted the dissection and moved quickly to behavioral solutions. His focus Tuesday night was on the power of invitations, which he clearly distinguished from announcements. That is, asking a specific person to go for a walk, have coffee, or share an experience is decidedly different from the generic announcement that goes out on social media or a bulk email. The insight here is twofold. The recipient knows they are being included and they belong, whether or not they are able to accept the invitation. The sender also stands a better chance of a positive response with a personal invite. This is something our varsity football team practices before home games when each player asks a specific adult to wear their jersey the day of the game and to attend. Trust me, the success rate for this approach is sensational!
2. Because there were two different smaller group meetings—by role at the school (faculty, staff, student, parent/guardian) and by identity with mixed ages—there was time for conversation as well as brainstorming how we can further deepen our community and increase the feelings of belonging. We now have an abundance of creative ideas to work with as we move forward through this year and plan for next. 
3. Finally, we ended the day with a panel composed of student affinity group leaders that attended SDLC and our Head Prefects presenting to the entire community. They addressed questions having to do with their experiences of not belonging and belonging at Brentwood due to their various identities. And as you might expect, it was powerful, moving, and insightful. 

While we experienced and learned a great deal from one another, what was equally powerful for me was looking out at all of our 6th-12th Grade students, sitting together on the field chatting, laughing, and smiling. Numerous students and adults commented on how special it was simply to be together again in this way. It’s been a long time coming.

Have a great weekend.

Dr. Mike

Original source can be found here.

Source: Brentwood School