Brookline School Committee recognizes squash team and reflects on Day of Change

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GRAPHIC BY VALENTIA BURLAK

The School Committee convened in person at Town Hall to reflect on Day of Change and feature the Squash Team.

The School Committee convened in person at Town Hall on March 2 at 6 p.m. to reflect on both the Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) Warriors Day of Change and feature the victorious squash team.

Senior Alice MacGarvie Thompson started the meeting with her student report, primarily based on the SHARP Warriors’ Day of Change.

“This year, we had a great day that was a lesson on consent and intersectionality. There was an incredible panel, and there was space for discussion and processing in our advisories,” MacGarvie Thompson said.

Seniors and co-leaders of SHARP Naama Tomer and Olivia Sheehan praised the success of this year’s Day of Change and emphasized the importance of continuing the day every year.

“It’s imperative that Day of Change remains a yearly event at the high school. We really appreciate the support given to us by the School Committee and by many members of staff and administration,” Sheehan said.

Tomer said that even though Day of Change is SHARP’s most public event, SHARP works all year round to make the high school a safer place for all.

“Another project we have begun is open discussion seminars, which is basically engaging the student body in conversations beyond these ‘Days of,’” Tomer said.

According to Sheehan, SHARP is also focusing on the development of a captain’s counsel.

“The captains of sports teams would be educated on issues of consent to try to change the culture of sports from within. As captains of team sports ourselves, we recognize that being a team captain is a privilege, and we’re really excited about the large impact this counsel would have,” Sheehan said.

School Committee member Valerie Frias asked if there was any policy that could improve consent culture along with other related issues. Sheehan said there was a Survivors Rights Bill that was passed by legislature but vetoed for legal reasons at the Head of School’s level.

“That is another thing that we want to dive back into at the handbook level. Before that bill was passed, the words ‘sexual assault’ did not appear at all in the handbook. This would leave students feeling disempowered without knowing what to do if any type of harassment [were to] occur. A first step is reengaging with those issues,” Sheehan said.

After discussing Day of Change, Superintendent Linus Guillory congratulated Heath School science teacher Mark Goldner for receiving an American Geosciences Institute (AGI) award for excellence in K-8 Earth Science Teaching.

Next, Guillory awarded the Spotlight on Excellence Award to the student athletes of both the boys and girls Squash Team for the boys’ victory in the US National Championship and the hard work of all athletes involved.

Guillory introduced coach and chemistry teacher Steve Lantos to speak on the team’s success.

“I can’t thank all of you enough for supporting the squash team, which is not a very common sport. We have seen our athletes improve immensely in terms of skills and ability over this year ,” Lantos said. “We had tears in our eyes watching them cheer and inspire each other. All that cheering from family, teammates and friends can make all the difference.”

As of now, the Winsor school offers five of their courts for the boys and girls teams’ home games. Lantos emphasized the importance of having better access to squash courts.

“Knowing that the renovation was going on in Brookline, kids would ask if we could build squash courts on campus. I’m just putting that out there. Growing the program early on is important,” Lantos said.