{D.i.v.e.r.s.i.t.y

}

Div

ersity

Temi Obaisi

2 0 0 7 2 0 1 1

Moorestown Friends School

Temi Obaisi

Temi Obaisi-is a Moorestown Friends School student from the Class of 2011.

DIVERSITY

D.i.v.e.r.s.i.t.yD.i.v.e.r.s.i.t.y

{by Temi Obaisi}

{1}

At bottom every man knows well enough that he is a unique being, only once on this earth; and by no

extraordinary chance will such a marvelously picturesque piece of diversity in

unity as he is, ever be put together a second time.

—Freidrich Nietzsche

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di­­­•ver•si•ty­­­\dih-vur-si-tee\­­n­1.the­state­or­fact­of­beingdiverse­2.­difference­3.­unlikeness­4.­variety;­multiformity­5.­a­point­of­difference

{3}

4

This book will follow 8 high school students attend-ing a K-12 Quaker school as they explore how the char-acteristics, mission, and beliefs of their school has

affected their perceptions of diversity.

Though it is instinctual to associate diversity withrace alone,

the term diversity incorporates a myriad of other characteristics found in human beings such as:

Socioeconomic class language ability/disability

sexual orientation beliefnationality

In order to function accordingly in society, it is cru-cial to understand that diversity is diverse in itself.

race?religion?

age?

what is diversity ?

gender?

An important factor in determining one’s definition of diversity is his educational environment.

—Temi Obaisi{4}

{5}

table of contents{saheb}....6

{jazmin}....8

{ted}....10

{danica}....12

{rachel}....14

{isaias}....16

{liz}....18

{lorenzo}....20

{statistics}....21

{conclusion}....24

table of contents

{6}

Saheb

Q:How would you describe the word diversity?Saheb: When people hear the word diversity, they normally think of race. Like “Oh, he’s Asian” or “He’s White”. But when I see diversity, I think of it as basically everything: you could say socioeconomic or different athletic abilities, everything.Q:How would you rate Moorestown Friends School on a scale of 1-10 for diversity?Saheb: I would actually give it a high score, like 8. Because you see all the time a lot of athletic people, and then there’s people who don’t play sports at all. That’s diversity right there. Then you also see exchange students, and then of course there’s racial diversity here alsoQ: If you could give a piece of advice to the school, what would it be?Saheb: I guess I would say that when teachers start teaching on topic of race and diversity and all, maybe to be aware of the people who are like, the minorities in the class. Because some-times it’s like “Oh, they’re talking about me”. I mean, it’s so awkward. I guess they should like, try to bring that down, the awkwardness.

“Sometimes it’s like “Oh, they’re talking about me”

{7}

Name:Saheb Grade: 12thEntered MFS: 9thReligion: SikhEthnicity: IndianCareer Goal: Ophthamologist

Q: Was diversity a major aspect of your college search?Saheb: It [diversity] was. It was a huge aspect actu-ally. Because, one of the main reasons why I picked my college was because there’s other Sikhs that go there, and I already know like ten people who are in this upcoming freshman class. Also, there’s the Sikh Student Association, so I could join that. And then I won’t feel like “I’m the only one here”. Like I have other people around me.

“you won’t feel like I’m the only one here”

Jazmin

“So many different colors, so many

shapes and sizes. That’s diversity.”

Q: Would you say that diversity is significant to you?Jazmin: It’s important to me, but I don’t think about it all the time. Like I come from a place where it’s all Black people and Hispanics and sometimes I just stare out into space and I’m like “Wow”. It’s just like, everybody’s the same. Every-body.Q:How would you describe diversity?Jazmin: I don’t really know. Can I use jelly beans as an example? Or, see that thing over there? (Points to a multicolored sculpture)So many dif-ferent colors, so many shapes and sizes. That’s diversity. In order for something to be diverse, it has to accept all different things. Like it can’t just be one race, or one sizeQ: Do you consider MFS to be diverse?Jazmin: No, I mean my grade is not that diverse, I’m not going to lie. But I don’t really think my grade is racially segregated; like you don’t see all the black kids hanging out together and all the white kids hanging out together. But I definitely see it [racial division] in other grades

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{1}

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Name: Jazmin MarieGrade: 11thEntered MFS: 9thReligion: ChristianityEthnicity: Hispanic AmericanCareer Goal: Neonatal Doctor Extracurriculars: Dancing

{9}

Q:Is diversity playing a major role in your college search?Jazmin: I want to go to a diverse school, but if I can’t get into a school that’s really diverse, I want to go to a Historically Black university. Just be-cause I feel that people would be more accepting of diversity there, you know? Like everyone there would have been in a position at some time where they felt discriminated against.

“Sometimes I just stare out into space and I’m like “Wow”. It’s

just like, everybody’s the same. Everybody. ”

{10}

Ted

“I think I’m just used to encountering different ideas

and ways of life”

Q: How has diversity at MFS affected you personally?Ted: I think being around and getting accustomed to dif-ferent ideas and various opinions, especially in the school community, allows me to open up my mind and not be so provincial in my thoughts. I think I’m just used to encoun-tering different ideas and ways of life throughout my life and you know, I just have a broad spectrum, a broad look at everything.Q: How do you think diversity is approached at MFS?Ted: Okay, so not the whole community tries to be diverse. But everyone is…nobody really discriminates based on race; everyone has a friend who is not just like them. Everyone’s pretty accepting of it. Maybe they’re not directly wanting to discuss diversity, but you know that they accept it and we have things like Diversity Committee and Community Fo-rum and MLK Club. Like Community Forum is just a giant group of students who come together to discuss certain is-sues; it’s a really cool sample…it’s an ocean of different types of people. Every student basically accepts diversity, I mean it’s kind of like we live diversity, as corny as it sounds.

“if you have one thing, the many little

things”

Q: How would you rate diversity at MFS on a 1-10 scale?Ted: In terms of ideas, then we’re probably a 9. I mean our school tries to nail the statistics with racial diversity and stuff, but I don’t think we’re very very diverse. But in terms of acceptance of diversity, I would give us an A+.Q: How do you think diversity is incorporated into the school curricu-lum?Ted: Well it’s not like blatantly thrown in there, you know? It’s more like, if we’re learning about something, we learn every viewpoint in everything we do. For example, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. People clearly take sides, but we learn every side of the story. They cover all points.Q: Do you ever see diversity-related segregation at school?Well, I think my grade is like 90 percent white. No, but seriously, I trying to think, but I’m pretty sure that 60-something of the 72 kids in my grade are white. The other grades are a lot more diverse than mine. And I feel like when I was in Kindergarten, it was all white kids and one African-American kid. And even though I don’t think people here associate with each other strictly by race, I do feel as though there is a bond between the originals who have been here since Pre-K. Like, I’ve known these people for 12 years, we grew up together, and our parents are friends.

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Name: TedGrade: 11Entered MFS: KindergartenReligion: Baha’iEthnicity: CaucasianCareer Goal: Medicine or something in FinanceExtracurriculars:Tournament Scrabble, Cross Country

{12}

DanicaQ: What is the importance of diversity to you?Danica: To be honest, I think that it’s always better to have different people with different life experi-ences and sets of knowledge rather than people with a uniformed outlook on life.Q:In Lower School, did you consider your grade to be diverse?Danica: Yeah, like in Pre-K, I was the one of the only black kids in my class. I mean, back then, I actu-ally didn’t think about it much; I wasn’t really aware of racism or racial segregation or anything. I just thought of everyone as people in general. I look at the Lower School now, and there are way more minority students. Like I see Asian kids, and African-American kids and Hispanic kids; I think they now probably have more awareness of diversity, but back in the day, it wasn’t like thatQ:How has that view changed since entering Upper School?Danica: Well back in the day(laughs), I mean before 9th grade, I was always with a group of people, I mean white people, because, you know, that was pretty much the majority of our grade. Then the flurry of new students came in 9th grade and all of a sudden, I saw that I was hanging out with all the minori-ties. Like in my grade, there isn’t strict racial division, but the groups are: mostly white people, and mostly minorities. Even the senior benches, it’s really visible, the divide.

Q:Do you see diversity in the curriculum?Danica: Well in English class, we have books like Native Son, and Song of Solomon, but I feel like historically, we haven’t learned much about African-American culture, or anything besides the U.S., like white U.S. We have had some diverse topics in History, but I think we need to expand. Because ever since Pre-K, I feel like one of the only things I’ve learned is white U.S. history and not much of other diverse topics.Q:What advice would you give MFS to increase diversity awareness?Danica: Maybe more diversity-related topics taught in Lower, Middle, and Upper School, but, it’s partly the administration, and partly the students who come. It’s hard to change the mindsets of students unless you come in like Kindergarten or something. A lot of people come in Middle School and Lower School, and then a lot of people left. Apparently we have a lot of Originals in 12th grade, but most people already left; they come in but leave quickly. So they get that experience of a somewhat diverse community, but then they leave.

Name: DanicaGrade: 12thEntered MFS:Pre- KReligion: Christian Ethnicity: Barbadian African AmericanCareer Goal: Writer

{13}

RachelQ:How would you rate MFS for diversity?Rachel: I would give it a 3, because the school has programs such as the Camden Scholars Program which allows children who wouldn’t normally be able to afford an MFS education to go to MFS. This group of people, of a different socioeconomic background than most of the school, adds some diversity. Also, there are a few Black, Asian, Indian, and other minorities sprinkled in each grade. The school tries to make the school seem more diverse than it actually is, in my opinion.Q:Have you ever witnessed or experienced segregation based on an aspect of diversity?Rachel: I believe that the minority kids do stick together, but some do branch out. I think Camden Scholar kids feel most comfortable with other Camden Scholar kids. I feel comfortable with those kids, even though I’m not a Camden Scholar, because they do not care about materialistic things as much as most of the school population does. It is true though, that the lack of diversity makes the kids branch out and talk to people outside of their race, but I don’t believe that it’s necessarily true that the minor-ity kids DON’T stick together.

{14}

“if you have one thing, the many little things that the

“if you have one thing, the many little

things”

Name: Rachel Elizabeth Grade: 11thEntered MFS: 9thReligion: AgnosticEthnicity: ½ African American, ¼ German, ¼ RussianCareer Goal: Speech Pathologist

Q: Does the topic of divesity ever arise among students?Rachel: Honestly, I don’t think that this has affected the social interac-tion within the grade. It seems as though when there’s a minority in the classroom, they are the only one, and the students joke about race and also expect that person to be a spokesperson for the entire race; very ignorant and ridiculous.Q: If you could advice to the school aboout diversity, what would it be?Rachel: Try to make tolerance a key element in the student body. Teach-ers should call out students when they make racial jokes and slurs. Stu-dents should be reprimanded about the seriousness of racial violence and racial jokes. The school should be educated on how each minority has suffered through time, and how the racist jokes are disrespectful to the hard times these people went through. The school needs to address the diversity issues instead of sweeping them under the rug, which they do a lot.

“the school needs to address the

diversity issues instead of sweeping them

under the rug”

{15}

“the lack of diversity makes the kids branch

out”

{1}

Isaias Q:What is the significance of diversity to you?Isaias: Diversity is only a big deal to me in the sense that I feel like I’m accomplishing something just because I’m a minority more than if I was a Caucasian. I would feel like I’m doing the norm. Like I’m pretty much the first one in my family to be going to an independent school, and I’m also going to an Ivy League next year, and nobody else in my family has actually ever done that before. I mean, you obviously feel that sense of accomplish-ment no matter what you are, but I don’t know, I feel more accomplished I guess. Q:How would you rate MFS on diversity?Isaias: I would probably give MFS a 6 or 7. I feel like they make the attempt to be diverse but at the same time, it’s still not diverse as it could have been.Q:Do you sense any division within your grade based on diversity?Isaias: Just because of the fact that most of the new students were minorities when I came in probably made people think we all hung out to-gether just because we’re minorities, but really, it was because we didn’t know anybody else. Because now, I feel like I can just be friends with anyone, so it’s definitely not a race issue.

“we would be able to respect

different cultures more easi ly because we

would understand it.”

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“I feel l ike it’s more tolerance

rather than promoting diversity”

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{1}

{1}

Name: Isaias N. MunozGrade: 12thEntered MFS: 9thReligion: ChristianEthnicity: Puerto RicanCareer Goal: LawyerExtracurriculars: Basketball,Teacher’s Aid, Church

Q:Do you think diversity is incorporated into the MFS curriculum?Isaias: No, I actually think they [MFS] don’t try to incorporate diversity into the curriculum at all. I feel like they’re cheesy about that. I mean, I’m okay with it, I just don’t feel like there’s an effort to teach about different cultures, other than like language classes and stuff. I mean we learn about American history and European history, but I think it would be a little more interesting to learn about foreign cultures and stuff. Because if we were able to do that, we would be able to respect different cultures more easily because we’d understand it.Q:Do you think teachers would be open to that idea?Isaias: I feel like some teachers would. But I also feel like they’ve been so used to the way they’ve been teaching for the past whatever amount of years that they just stick with what they have, like what’s embedded in them. But I think if that change was made, I don’t think they would have a problem with it. That’s the thing here; like the school is so open to different cultures and stuff, but they don’t necessarily try to push for it. I feel like it’s more toler-ance rather than promoting diversity or whatever, and I guess that’s okay.

{17}

LizQ:How would you define diversity?Liz: I would say a collection of differences in just about anything really. Like it could be differences in culture or differences in socioeconomic statuses, genders, anything. Q:Do you think diversity is incorporated into the curricu-lum?Liz: I think there are classes that teach about diver-sity, but they’re normally electives or religion-based classes. I mean it’s hard to incorporate diversity into Math and stuff. Where it can be incorporate easily, I think it is, but other than that, not really.Q:Was diversity a major aspect of your college search?Liz: I think it had a lot of significance. Because when I went to visit schools, the schools that were not that diverse, I tended to not like them anyway. Like even if they had really good academics, or my parents re-ally liked them, I would look around and think “Oh, everyone’s the same”.Q:Do you feel as though some types of diversity are less socially acceptable at MFS than others are?Liz: I would say sexual orientation. That and I think sometimes gender because there are a lot of things within the student body that could be seen as sexist. Like the student government is predominantly male. I think those two are the least socially acceptable here at MFS.

“It’s taught me to be comfortable with being uncomfortable”

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{1}

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Name: Mary Elizabeth (Liz)Grade: 12thEntered MFS:9thReligion: Roman CatholicEthnicity: Italian/Irish/GermanCareer Goal: Sports Journalist

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Q:How has diversity impacted you?Liz: For me, it’s taught me to be com-fortable with being uncomfortable sometimes. Like with something that you’re not familiar with, it is the norm for someone else, you have to adapt. So that’s why I think being in a diverse environment is important to be able to succeed in life. Because you’re not always going to be around the same type of people who think the same way you do. Q:Have you ever felt ostracized due to a diverse characteristic of yours?Liz: Coming from public school, you have different experiences that people who have been here for a long time don’t understand, and they seem to not, like, appreciate public school expe-riences. They think that public school is just, weird. I don’t know.Q:How would you rate MFS on diversity?Liz: Well, MFS is pretty diverse in a lot of things. I would probably give it an eight. Because compared to the other schools that I’ve been at, MFS is a lot more diverse.

“I think being in a diverse environment is important to be able to succeed in

life”

“Coming from public school, you have

different experiences that people who have been here for a long

time don’t understand”

{1}

Lorenzo

{20}

Q: How would you define diversity?Lorenzo: How would I define diversity? Well, in simple terms, if you have one thing, the many little things that the big thing is comprised of. Religions, ethnic, cultural, it [di-versity] is a very loaded word. I mean you can’t necessar-ily just solely focus in one race, because that’s just a really small aspect of it.Q: How do you think your classmates would define diversity?Lorenzo: It’s funny, being at this school, you get a mixed crowd; you get people who agree with you and then people who completely disagree with you. I find that there are a select few people who do agree with me and an even smaller group who agree with me on the same level. For instance I am completely against schools or environments that are catered towards a certain group of people, whether it be racially, socioeconomically, or anything like that, I am completely against that. I think diversity is for the best.

Q: Do you think diversity is incorporated into the curriculum?Lorenzo: You can expect topics of diversity brought in like the typical English, the Literature, History, especially World History, and occasionally with Science, you can expect that. In in terms of Math, maybe? I know in the textbooks you’ll maybe hear the ethnic name, I suppose you would call it. Or an example dealing with a specific coun-try or other culture. It’s there, I mean you’re aware, but it’s not like in your face.

Name: LorenzoGrade: 11thEntered MFS: 7thReligion: ChristianEthnicity: African-AmericanCareer Goal: Public School Administrator Extracurriculars: Student Government and Debate Team

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Q: In what ways does diversity impact interactions between students?Lorenzo: People, here, generally, are a bit touchy. They are careful to not step on anyone’s toes. There is a concerted effort to not to offend anyone here because we are a relatively diverse school. So it’s kind of like this awkward rift almost. You can be in a classroom and be reading Native Son and the book is based very heavily on language, the use of the n word. And so, when we have these discussions in class, or we’re reading the book, then it’s one of things where people are hesitant to finish the sentence, or they’re hesitant to discuss what they read. It’s just an awkward rift, and I don’t really feel like it needs to be there.

Q: In what ways does diversity impact interactions between students? Sometimes, I feel as though people here have embraced me more because of my diverse characteristics. But there’s always this feeling that you know what separates you from everyone else. You know that you are not like everyone else. And it’s kind of a lonely feeling. Almost to an extent that I cannot truly relate to a lot of people here based on them not having some of those characteristics. And it kind of sucks, just a little bit, not being able to relate entirely to a person. But I still feel as it’s for the best because I have been able to meet so many different kinds of remarkable people here at MFS. Had I not gone here [MFS], I don’t think I would have been able to find the same thing. I don’t think what I’ve found here can be found anywhere else, with the school being so small and diverse. I am really grateful, but at the same time, I wish I had more people to relate to.

“It’s just an awkward rift, and I don’t really feel like it needs to be there”

The Numb3rs•

• Is diversity widely promoted at your school?

• Yes, a lot-22.2%• Yes, most of the time-38.3%

• Yes-21%• Occasionally-8.6%

• Not At All-7.4%• Other-2.5

What is diversity?

Differences among a group of people or things

a collection of different people and cultures coming

together

multiculturaldifferent backgrounds,

interests and personalitiesDiversity is too hard to define in one sentence.

Different races and ethnicities cooperating

with each other

the quality of being varied, heterogeneous

the sharing of different cultures in any environment

the change from one person to another

the incorporation of all types of people

• • How important is diversity to

you?• Very Important-22%

• Moderately Important-30.5%• Important-24.4%

• Not Very Important-17.1%• Not Important At All-6%

Over 150 high school students were surveyed on their perceptions of diversity.

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• ~minority students enrolled at MFS...33%• • ~minority students enrolled in Upper School...34%• • ~minority students enrolled in Middle School...33%• • ~minority students enrolled in Lowe School...30%• • ~nternational students enrolled at MFS... <1%• • ~students recieveing f inancial aid... 29%• • ~religions represented by MFS students: Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh,

Jewish, Muslim, Quaker, Roman Catholic, Agnostic, • Protestant denominations, Atheist, Inter-faith • •

@ Moorestown Friends School

{23}

So What?

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Diversity is a concept that can be taken in, digested, expanded upon, pushed aside, or celebrated. In the past year, I have explored the various ways in which the

perception of diversity varies from person to person, and the factors that play a major role in one’s definition of diversity.

Through an online survey administered through SurveyMonkey, and various interviews at Moorestown Friends School I questioned students on the presence of diversity in both their current academic in-stitution and their former ones. I also asked students who they feel diversity impact them the most, and how it affects them personally. From the 158 responses that I received, none of the students defined diversity in the same way. It became clear to me that each individual’s unique life experiences, personal characteristics, and living environments, and academic institutions were responsible for shaping his or her view of diversity.

While I only interviewed juniors and seniors at Moorestown Friends School, I attempted to gather a sample of students of different religions, ethnicities, genders, in order to adequately portray diverse opinions. Some of the students that I interviewed had been at MFS since they were three or four years old. My assumptions coming into those particu-lar interviews were that these students would have a somewhat limited view of diversity since they had attended the same school with the same people for their entire lives. Surprisingly, those students had an extensively broad outlook on the term diversity. Through their interviews, I became aware of the fact that although the Upper School curriculum does not reflect a particularly high level of diversity-related topics, the Lower School does. One student listed all of the world holidays that students were taught in Lower School such as Diwali and Kwanza, holidays that are barely mentioned in upper school. While the student body was relatively racially uniformed during Lower School, students felt as though they were given an education that covered a broader range of religions, cultures, and nations.

Throughout the majority of my interviews, students expressed a generally uniformed desire for the diversifica-tion of the Upper School curriculum. Many students noted that in English classes, an effort is made to read lit-erature based on race relations such as: Native Son, Othello, and The Secret Life of Bees. However, some stu-dents wished that more works of literature by foreign authors were read in classes. Other students made the observation that as minority students, they felt as though they were often expected to represent their race or ethnicity when the topic of race relations came up. Some students said that such class discussions made them feel awkward or uncomfortable, while others appreciated the effort made to include diversity within the classroom.

{25}

So What?Another topic that often arose was the diversification of the History classes. Students in 9th grade are re-quired to take Modern History in 9th grade and American History in 10th grade. In 11th grade, they are allowed to choose between 20th Century World History and AP US History. Some students noted that while they took 20th Century World History in order to learn more about non-U.S. history, the majority of the course was taught from a Western standpoint and not much focus was made on other world cultures. As one student said, there are virtually no opportunities for students to learn to learn about different cultures outside of language class-rooms. Also, students felt that if the faculty was more diverse, it would lead to a change in the curriculum.

Because I was only interviewing 11th and 12th graders, I asked each student how large of a role diversity played (or was playing) in their college search. Answers ranged from students picking schools based solely on diver-sity, to others not even considering the fact. Most students responded saying that while they would like to at-tend a school with a diverse student body, it would not be a determining factor in their college admissions. One obstacle I face during interviews was encouraging students to speak on types of diversity other than race. Racial and religious diversity is a topic that is often brought up at Moorestown Friends School and it seemed as though students were somewhat comfortable discussing it. However, whenever socioeconomic status and sexual orientation came up, students did not have much to say on the topics. The general response was that the student body tends not to focus on those types of diversity because it leads to awkward interactions and personal offence.

Although I would like to end this publication with a conclusion that nicely wraps up all of the information that I have gained through this project, I feel as though I am unable to. In this book, I was only unable to include a small portion of the interviews that I held with students, both due to space limitations, and also because some students wanted some of their responses to be kept private. Coming into Moorestown Friends School as a new freshman, I already know that my experience here would be different from any other high school that I could have attended. The Quaker philosophy coupled with a community made up of individuals from places such as South Korea, California, Liberia, and Haddonfield forced me to realize that at one point or another, every stu-dent would have to face an uncomfortable situation due to a characteristic of theirs: How come they can’t af-ford to go on that trip? Why do they pronounce that word that way? Why are they always busy on Sundays?

The word diversity is diverse in itself. While the Moorestown Friends School endeavors to foster a community built on equality and respect, I believe that the school’s mission focuses largely on race. The result of this magnified focus is an often times uncomfortable environment for students both inside and outside of the classroom, and also a lagging in other areas of diversity.

We should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the

threads of the tapestry are equal in value. —Maya Angelou

{26}

Diversity: the art of thinking independently together

—Malcolm Forbes

{27}

{Special Thanks To}Mr. Schlotterbeck

for his knowledge, patience, and guidance that made this entire project

possible{ }

DanicaIsaias

JazminLiz

LorenzoRachelSaheb

Ted

The Student Panel

for giving up their free time and sharing their profound thoughts on

diversity{ } Mr. Kimberlyfor his advice and direction in this

project project{ }Lu

for the many words of guidance and encouragement{ }

Ms. Day, Mr. Kolaris, Mrs. Barnafor all the technical assistance, resources, and kind words that went into the making

of this book{ } Mrs. Galler and Ms. Edmund

for the years of InDesign training in Yearbook that gave me

the ability to create this book{ }

Moorestown Friends Schoolfor providing me with the tools,

education, resources, and constructive environment that produced this book. { }