Cultural Competency and Ethical Leadership (CCEL)

In an effort to complement our academic program, the CCEL curriculum is designed to reflect our mission and values while enabling students to improve intercultural competence in an increasingly-diverse world by providing equitable educational opportunities and resources for all students. Ethics should drive decisions; dedication to community should be tangible. Likewise, learning to lead should be taught through intentional instruction and discourse. These habits of mind develop through experiential learning and practice.

MBS Student Diversity Leadership Summits

  • Building on our summer leadership and facilitation training, many Upper and Middle school student leaders participated in MBS Student Diversity Leadership Summits. The activities allowed students an opportunity to reflect on their personal identity, leadership style, and learn more about their peers, specifically in the area of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB).
  • In April, select Upper School students will participate in a LGBTQIA+ Leadership Workshop focusing on gender, sexuality and allyship. The goal of the workshop is to provide students with a better understanding of the spectrum of gender and sex and what it means to be an ally.

Student Workshops 2020-2021

  • CCEL Student Workshop:
    Our first Upper School CCEL workshop focused on responsible social media usage and reviewing our current MBS Social Media Policy.
  • CCEL Student Workshop:
    Our first Middle School CCEL workshop provided a platform for students to begin thinking about what it means to be an upstander in our MBS community, and provided them with some entry-level “leadership tools” to start their year.
  • CCEL Student Leader Workshops:
    We hosted a trio of workshops (for fall sports captains, SGA officers, Student Justice Committee members, Peer Leaders, Crimson Ambassadors and club leaders). With a focus on leadership styles and accountability, students developed both a plan to include all members of their activity and a sense of what their role should be on campus.
  • CCEL History Workshops:
    With a focus on leadership styles and the Constitutional guidance given to elected political figures, our History department will take the entire Upper School through a leadership workshop.
  • CCEL Guest Speaker:
    Alumnus Ian Moore spoke to grades 6-12 regarding unity and how to move forward together after a contentious election season. There were follow-up small group discussions in advisory.
  • CCEL Panel:
    A panel of MBS faculty participated in a school-wide discussion  regarding civil discourse and civic engagement. There were follow-up small group discussions in advisory.
  • CCEL Speaker:
    The Director of DEIB addressed the school-wide community with a message regarding civil discourse, and appropriate social media usage
  • CCEL Wellness Workshops:
    Our Wellness workshops addressed effective communication styles and ideas about identity. Our 9th and 11th graders participated in this series.
  • CCEL Guest Speaker
    We hosted speaker, author, and Amherst professor Catherine Sanderson who discussed how to overcome the very natural human tendency to remain bystanders and practical strategies for resisting such pressure in their own lives. 
  • CCEL Guest Speaker
    Scholar, activist and minister Nyle Fort spoke to Morristown Beard School students as part of the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Assembly about being agents of change in their communities.
  • CCEL Student Mindfulness Workshops:
    Our Middle School students will engage in a three-day workshop series focused on gratitude, inclusivity, and mindfulness.

 

Faculty Workshops 2020-2021

  • Cultural Competency Training:
    Before the start of the fall athletic season, every MBS coach participated in a Cultural Competency Training to both outline their responsibilities and provide the necessary skills to create a supportive team culture.

  • Faculty Workshop:
    Optional faculty workshop about Unpacking the Black@pages (60+ faculty)

  • Administrative Workshop:
    Administrative Workshop with Ali Michael: Building the foundations for becoming an anti-racist institution

  • Faculty Workshop:
    Faculty Summer Educator Session: Equity Literacy

  • Faculty Workshop:
    Faculty Summer Educator Session: Building a Community: Cultural Competency in the Classroom

  • Faculty Workshop:
    Facilitation Training: How to manage complex conversations and maintain productive dialogue.

  • Weekly DEIB Workshops:
    Dr. Diana Artis has held specialized weekly DEIB workshops for our DEIB Committee since the Fall.