Our Wildwood, Volume 51

The Wildwood Outreach Center: Transforming Education Across Continents During the 2023-2024 school year, the Wildwood Outreach Center continued to expand Wildwood School’s influence well beyond Los Angeles. Educators from 55 schools across 9 states and 4 countries participated in in-person and online workshops led by Wildwood experts, focusing on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB), the Wildwood Institute Model, Systems Thinking, and Advisory. In August, Steve Barrett, Director of the Outreach Center, traveled to Cambodia to lead a week-long professional development session at the International School of Phnom Penh (ISPP). Additionally, Steve conducted a one-day workshop on social-emotional learning (SEL) for local public, private, and Buddhist school educators in Cambodia. In October, Steve led another week of in-person professional development in Spain for the second consecutive year. Activities included assessing the progress of the middle school Advisory program at the American School of Madrid (ASM), which the Outreach Center helped develop, and enhancing the skills of its advisors. The week concluded with a two-day intensive workshop on fostering belonging and community through Advisory and school-wide initiatives. Participating schools included ASM, the American School of Valencia, the American School of Barcelona, and The Benjamin Franklin International School of Barcelona. In the spring, the Wildwood Outreach Center initiated a partnership with Tim Klein from Boston College’s Purpose Lab, resulting in a series of innovative online workshops for educators at Wildwood and schools nationwide. These workshops introduced cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) tools designed to help students develop a deeper sense of purpose in school and beyond. After a year of travel, the Outreach Center capped off the school year right here at home, hosting the 11th annual Multicultural Leadership Institute (MLI) at the middle and upper campus in June. Facilitated by Karen Dye, Wildwood’s Director of Equity and Inclusion, and Claudia Gonzalez, Director of Enterprise Software Systems, this four-day nationally recognized

This year’s Symposium began

with student-led roundtable discussions with Corey Smyth (P. ‘33), founder and CEO of Blacksmith Holdings. In his opening remarks, Corey advised students to forge their own paths as they pursue their passions at Wildwood and beyond. “One of the things that Corey said that really stuck out to me was, ‘Dream big – because no one is stopping you,’” said Gianna O.-S. ‘28. “You don’t have to stick to other people’s expectations.” Following the round-table with Corey, students headed off to their choice of workshops on topics ranging from DEIB in classic literature to science, healthcare, “The Multicultural Symposium is an opportunity to grow out of your comfort zone and try on a new lens of learning,” said Lulya A. ‘24 and Hanami W. ‘24, who helped organize the event as part of the Upper School BIPOC Student Affinity Group leadership team. “By acknowledging and appreciating our unique backgrounds, we honor our struggles and roads to triumph.” mindfulness, and emerging technologies, among others.

DEIB workshop showcases the evolution of Wildwood’s DEIB program and encourages participants to implement inclusive and equitable practices in their schools. Since 2013, the MLI has attracted over 400 participants from 85 schools across 14 states.

OWW SUMMER 2024

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