Pride and Authenticity Resound Throughout Lower School

On Wednesday, Parker’s Lower School gathered for a special Pride Morning Ex organized by the Lower School faculty and staff. This assembly focused on the authenticity of self, family structure and celebrating the LGTBQIA+ community in a developmentally appropriate way for younger developing minds.

Lower School Dean of Student Life Ashleigh St. Peters welcomed students to the Heller Auditorium and reinforced their class studies. She discussed the theme of “Together in Pride” and “the importance of being proud of who you are.” Students then watched a video breaking down the history and meaning of the Pride Flag and learned about people creating symbols to help represent who they are. Next, Lower and Intermediate School Spanish teacher Karen Liszka; Assistant Principal Priyanka Rupani; Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Erika Prahl; and Principal Dan Frank read the story Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag to the audience.

Students in Lower School Spanish teacher Valentina Correa’s classes created a video completely in Spanish that discussed how everyone has a family that looks slightly different but that all of these families are equally valuable. Next, 2nd grade students in Rose Coll’s class shared poetry they had written that focused on a range of topics, from authenticity to kindness to equality and beyond. Finally, Music teacher Alec Synakowski led the audience in a sing-along of Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors.”