On Saturday, January 31, more than 200 students from various schools across the Philadelphia region gathered at SCH for the 11th annual SCHout Diversity Conference. The conference was run and organized by Student Facilitators and members of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council (DEI). Through SCHout, they challenged student attendees to explore topics on diversity and develop critical thinking skills on the topics covered in the day’s keynote speaker reflections, all stemming from the year’s theme, “The Constellation of Us: Rise, Resist, and Reach for the Stars.”
“The Constellation of Us: Rise, Resist, and Reach for the Stars” was chosen by SCH Facilitators in June 2025. “We had a retreat day the day after [final] exams ended. The DEI council came to school, and they put out all their ideas for the year,” stated Polly Kimberly, the SCHout Coordinator and faculty adviser of DEI and Facilitators. Kimberly expressed that the theme reflects how Facilitators wanted attendees to view the relationship between community and identity. “A community is a constellation,” Kimberly stated. “We all have connections to one another, but within each person is a constellation of identities. I think this conference is trying to celebrate both of those things.”
From 10:00 to 10:45, three student Facilitator keynote speakers gave speeches about their own lived experiences that aligned with this theme. Keynote speaker and member of DEI Council’s Executive Board Adina Jeremiah centered her speech around her Miracle Monocle Award-winning poem, “Dark Sparkle beneath Ivory Waves”. The poem details her experience as a Black girl attending a PWI and how those in that community were “the architects of my isolation, and the sculptors of my confinement” (Dark Sparkle beneath Ivory Waves).
Jeremiah stated that her inspiration in sharing that poem “was to bring people in and to make people realize that even if they feel, you know, like an ostracized little star elsewhere, that they’re still part of a bigger constellation,” Jeremiah continued. “There are other people who relate to those experiences.”
Later in the afternoon, student attendees participated in several Social Action Workshops, which are meant to “help students think critically about various diversity issues, and hopefully inspire students to take action,” stated Kimberly. Since October, student Facilitators have grouped to develop workshops based on their interests relating to current national issues, such as politics, the environment, and more. One of the most well-attended workshops at this year’s conference was entitled “How to Fight Fire with ICE.” Led by seniors Colin Salas, Joe Leon-Palfrey, and juniors Rolly Whitten and Alexa Williams, attendees discussed the actions of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in cities across the U.S. and the direct implications for the Latinx community specifically.
Since SCHout was first started in 2016 by alumni Essence Walden and Singley Risico, keynote speakers at last year’s conference, it has drawn people who have hoped to learn more about diversity in their communities. Audrey Dougherty, a junior from Marion Mercy Academy, shared that “this is our first year that [the conference] had ever been offered. So far, I’m having a great time. I feel like everyone was pretty comfortable with everyone. No one was really embarrassed to share anything. I hope to learn more about other people’s experiences, and how I can navigate my life through their experiences.” She continued that she wanted to “use different things that I’ve learned today in my own life to kind of improve strategies and try to help someone out in that same way.”
stated junior Tristyn Howard, a Facilitator, a Co-Head of DEI Council, and this year’s MC for the keynote speaker reflections. Howard, along with three other facilitators, designed “Rules of the Game” for this year’s conference, a workshop analyzing how people’s various identities affect their access to education and how that impacts their path throughout adulthood. “Specifically from my workshop, I want them to know that just because the systems are not built to protect everybody, we can still change the future, because we have a great part of it.”
Beyond students, teachers across the Philadelphia region also had the opportunity to attend an adults-only workshop led by Maxime Sinal, the Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) at SCH. “I’m trying to see how [this conference] can be replicated and continued in other spaces, even at our own, my own campus, at Church Farm,” shared Tumi Tyndall, a teacher representing Church Farm School with nine of his students. “Personally, for my students, I hope they feel a better sense of confidence in themself and knowing that they can also be in charge and lead things, and just understand that they can be diverse,” he stated. “I hope they can learn stuff from each other and all of you in this community.”
The annual SCHout conference is always an opportunity for growth. For students to better themselves in their community, to accept themselves, and to accept others. “I’ve been an educator for a long time, and I just think it’s harder to connect than it used to be,” shared Kimberly. As it had been every year, students at this year’s SCHout conference left with a better understanding of themselves and their communities.
