It’s a big year for Inspire School of Arts & Sciences! Students are back for in-person learning, we’ve got several large productions in the queue for the community to enjoy, and campus is buzzing with a familiar energy and enthusiasm. A big year calls for big moves, which is why we are pleased to announce this year’s school wide theme: Be What You Want to See. Inspire was founded on the belief that students do better when they are empowered, and families do better when we focus on their well-being. This year’s theme will put that belief into practice all year – and for years to come.
First, why does Inspire have a yearly theme?
Themes at Inspire are not a new practice. Each year, Inspire staff work collaboratively to create a guiding principle for the entire campus community to organize around. We work across the student body, staff, and departments to integrate curriculum, programming, and intention into everything we do that year. Our first ever theme was “What Inspires You?” – an effort to encourage the pursuit of passion – and last year’s theme was “We Got This” – a motto that was woven into our campus culture during an unprecedented global pandemic resulting in school closures and the cancellation of dozens of campus events. The annual theme instructs us as a school, and gives our campus community something to grasp onto and strive for.
The Focus of “Be What You Want to See”?
In short, “Be What You Want to See” allows the Inspire family to rally around two things that are woven into our mission and vision. 1) Building a highly resilient student body that recognizes their power; and 2) Building a campus community that welcomes and celebrates all people, regardless of race, assigned sex, ethnicity, class, ability status, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, cultural identity, or lived experience.
How Will It Look on Campus?
There are countless directions that students, teachers, staff, families and the community at large can take this year’s theme, and there are already a variety of campus events and efforts underway.
Advisory Coordinator and English teacher, Joseph Hill, is leading the Advisory component of “Be What You Want to See.” He tells us that in order to ensure that our students are critical thinkers with a sense of agency and an understanding of their place in the world (and how to change it for the better), the focus of Advisory will be on Social Emotional Learning (SEL). Advisory will be building community and will focus on cultivating student self-awareness, social awareness, self-management skills, responsible decision-making, and relationship skills. These are the kinds of skills that last long after high school, and the key to a well and well-rounded student body.
Evita North, Inspire’s Equity Coordinator and Government teacher, will be focusing on our diversity, equity, and inclusion components of the theme, especially among Inspire staff. In collaboration with our whole team, Evita will organize training and professional development for staff and teachers, so they can approach curriculum, culture, and community through the lenses of diversity, equity, and inclusion. This effort takes our ongoing focus on personalized learning to another level, and we are proud to deepen this commitment.
How The Community Can Get Involved
As usual, the broader community will be able to participate in activities, productions, and events centered around the theme all year long. It will be integrated into our Annual Gala, which includes performances, workshops, and more, and you can expect to see it woven into student-led activities such as capstone projects, performing arts and writing assignments, and this year’s showcases. Of course, we encourage the public to join us on social media as we share even more stories of student resilience, projects taking place on campus, and Inspire stories highlighting this important step in Inspire’s history. Check us out on Facebook and Instagram.
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There will be plenty more to share as the year progresses, and we can’t wait to see the creativity, inspiration, and innovation that comes from Inspire students and staff this year. Stay tuned…
