Empathy and Equity:
Central to the Mission
How Santa Barbara Middle School
Focuses on Kindness to
Shape Compassionate Leaders
By Indy Staff | November 21, 2024
Read more of our 2024 Schools of Thought stories here.
Santa Barbara Middle School (SBMS) has embraced values like equity, empathy, and inclusivity as a central part of its educational mission, aiming to shape students into compassionate leaders and conscientious global citizens.
The Importance
Equity and empathy are critical for developing students who understand and respect diversity, advocate for justice, and can act as agents of positive change. These values are particularly significant during the middle school years, a period of intense social, emotional, and intellectual growth. Teaching these principles equips students to interact thoughtfully within increasingly diverse and interconnected communities.
Origins and Emphasis
At its very core, SBMS has always focused on kindness. It is still the number-one characteristic SBMS will look for in the admissions process. The school feels passionately that students who exhibit kindness through an empathetic lens create a community that provides a safe space for students to be their true and authentic selves.
While SBMS has always focused on fostering a caring, inclusive community, the establishment of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice, and Belonging (DEIJB) committee and vision statement shows a deepening commitment. This focus aligns with broader educational trends in prioritizing DEI efforts, which many schools are incorporating to respond to societal changes and demands for greater inclusivity in education.
Imparting Equity and Empathy
SBMS teaches equity and empathy through an array of intentional, hands-on experiences. These values are woven into both the academic curriculum and extracurricular activities. For example:
The Life Skills Program across all grades addresses topics like communication skills, cultural awareness, and digital literacy, which build empathy and respect for diversity.
The DEIJB Committee focuses on creating a campus climate where all students, staff, and faculty feel a sense of belonging and are encouraged to discuss social justice topics openly.
Community Action Club projects provide opportunities for students to work on service-oriented projects, helping students see their role in promoting equity and justice both on campus and beyond.
Outdoor Education: SBMS has a strong experiential outdoor education program that takes students out of the classroom and into nature. During these expeditions, students engage in activities such as kayaking, mountain biking, and camping. These journeys are purposefully designed to build resilience, foster a sense of community, and provide opportunities for personal growth.
Students face challenges — both literal and figurative mountains — that teach them about strength, perseverance, and empathy. For some, the struggle lies in gaining independence — being away from home for five to 10 days and learning to be self-sufficient. For others, it might be pedaling a bike for hours over rugged terrain.
These shared adversities bring the group closer together as students, faculty, and staff work as a community to overcome obstacles. Each member learns the importance of supporting one another, whether through a word of encouragement on a steep climb, lending a helping hand during camp setup, or celebrating small victories along the way.
This collective experience instills a sense of empathy as students come to understand and appreciate each other’s strengths and challenges, ultimately bringing everyone home safely and as a stronger, more connected community.
Creative Arts and Sports: All students are welcome to join SBMS sports teams, and all students will make the team. Club athletes play alongside those who have never played before. This provides an opportunity for students to help support, coach, and lead with respect and kindness. Similarly, students are encouraged to try out an array of exciting electives from music to art. These are safe spaces to explore new opportunities and discover new passions.
Ongoing Pursuits and Recent Achievements
Recent progress at SBMS in the realm of equity and empathy include:
Program Development: One of the initial goals of the DEIJB committee was to identify a statement around diversity, equity and inclusion. Our community collaboratively developed and agreed on a school-wide DEIJB Vision Statement. Students, faculty, staff, and parents were involved in the process.
Program Review and Teacher Training: SBMS enlisted the support of Ally 2 Accomplice to not only conduct an equity audit but also to then train staff and faculty through a six-week module on understanding and improving the sense of belonging on our campus. As a result of the findings of the audit, the DEIJB committee created task forces to address feedback to ensure that policies and practices continuously evolve and improve.
Parent Education: Part of their endeavors also include parent education. Last year, SBMS partnered with other local independent schools to offer the parent webinar “How to Raise Anti-Racist Children” with Brit Hawthorne. Similarly, SBMS has brought in other local DEI experts to speak at parent association meetings.
Curriculum Audits: Annual curriculum reviews are conducted to identify DEIJB topics that can be better represented, ensuring that inclusivity is part of each classroom’s discussions.
GSA: SBMS has a nationally registered Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA), which offers “Friday Facts” and guest speakers (e.g., the executive director of Color Bloq) to create safe spaces for diverse voices to share perspectives with students.
Language Interpretation and Translation: The school provides Spanish interpretation during its information night, open houses, parent conferences, and during the application process. SBMS is currently working on translating school documents into Spanish.
Community Partnerships
SBMS has partnered with various organizations to promote equity and empathy, including:
Coffee with a Black Guy: This partnership facilitates honest dialogues about race and equity, benefiting both students and faculty.
Ally 2 Accomplice: As noted above, SBMS has worked with Ally 2 Accomplice to complete equity audit as well as ongoing training and thought leadership.
Direct Relief International and Local Nonprofits: Students engage in service projects, such as volunteering at PATH Homeless Shelter and supporting organizations like Special Olympics and Transition House. These partnerships underscore SBMS’s commitment to community-based learning and promote empathy through direct service.
These partnerships reinforce SBMS’s DEI vision by helping students understand the broader impact of their actions and build empathy by connecting with people from diverse backgrounds.
Future Goals
Future goals include continuing to strengthen our internal DEIJB task forces, which are composed of staff and faculty; expanding partnerships with local and national DEI experts; and building on the success of current DEIJB programs to further embed equity and empathy into all aspects of school life.
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