Attending to the Quaker Mission

Pictured above (left to right) Annah Heckman '15 and Kara Kutner

The Faith and Practice Committee led by faculty and staff is in the process of reviewing the School’s 2008 Faith and Practice booklet. This type of document, common to all Quaker organizations, expresses the School’s aspirations in fulfilling its Quaker mission. When completed, the Committee will submit its recommendations to the Board of Trustees’ Faith and Practice Subcommittee for consideration.

The concept of equity has emerged as a major focus, reflecting broad societal changes that have occurred over the last 15 years. The Director of the Center for Peace, Equity and Justice Kara Kutner explains, “Equality is used throughout [the document], but we need to think more about equity and what it means to create a truly level playing field. In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement and hostility [toward Asians] we need to name diversity more explicitly. We also want to be more gender neutral.”

The Committee envisions a new digital version that maintains the booklet’s simplicity, but is more interactive and dynamic. For example, a digital document could connect equity to specific actions and programs, thereby providing additional context and meaning. Annah Heckman ‘15, Associate for Service Learning and Civic Engagement, explains, “[A refreshed document] should feel very familiar. We’re not looking to reinvent the wheel. We hope to create plain language that is accessible to even our fourth graders.”

As part of its work, the Committee reached out to students to review, refresh and generate news queries and to ensure nothing was overlooked. Annah comments, “This work has been especially joyful and rewarding for me and my colleagues.”