Enacting Change Within PDS

As of now, PDS provides spaces for us to discuss these issues. We have a multitude of affinity groups that represent different identities within the school. Peer Group is another such space that allows students to connect and discuss personal challenges they are facing. Similarly, boys and girls groups both allow individuals within PDS to interact. Though Princeton Day School as an institution has already taken a stance on this issue (see Mr. Stellato’s email to parents here), there are still further efforts the school can take to ensure the safety and well-being of all its students. It is essential to educate students about the systemic racism in our society, a topic that—up until junior or senior year for some—was never properly addressed. This also means examining anti-blackness in particular at PDS. The English curriculum, for example, only includes a few black authors every year. Our school, like every space, is not without flaws, and the first step towards improving is public acknowledgement of issues, from the administration, students, and teachers alike.

Sophomore Tyanna Miller shared: “I [think] PDS should post links to organizations and petitions to help support the protests or the cases [regarding the murders of] George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and more. I also feel that there are many presentations, some as simple as 10 slides on Instagram or a Google Slides Presentation, [that could be shared]. I feel like the more we post about things that can help people, the more people we can get to help the cause or further educate people who don’t know.”