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��ɫ��Ƶ Phil��������󾱲�’s��second��virtual��Lunch & Learn took place on��Monday,��February 22.��The event��was moderated by��Darryl��Bundrige, Executive Director and Vice President of ��ɫ��Ƶ Philadelphia, and featured a panel of��guest speakers��who discussed the importance of mentorship and social-emotional��learning among students throughout the��school��district.��Panelists��included:��

• Aliya��Catanch-Bradley, Principal of Mary McLeod Bethune School����
• Dr. Abigail Gray, Deputy Chief of School Climate and Culture for the��School District of Philadelphia��
• Alexia��Nebrao, AmeriCorps Team Leader at Mary McLeod Bethune School����
• Tim��Schmidt, Impact Manager at Mary McLeod Bethune��School

The first two speakers of the event��were��Dr.��Abigail Gray and Tim Schmidt. Gray, who is��the Deputy Chief��of School��Climate and Culture for the School District of Philadelphia, is a former teacher at Shaw Middle School, as well as��a previous recipient of the Moccasin Award at ��ɫ��Ƶ��Phil��������󾱲�’s Graduation��ceremony.��Schmidt is an Impact Manager at Mary McLeod Bethune��School, and a two-time����ɫ��Ƶ��Philadelphia��alumnus.����

They��began with a discussion of how mentorship connects��with��Gray’s role in the school district. “My job is really to work with folks��in schools at all levels to do everything we can to create welcoming, positive, equitable learning environments,” she explained.��Gray’s office has been largely focusing on promoting social-emotional learning��and supports��in schools, which is why she helped launch a district-wide initiative for schools to put aside 30 minutes every morning for a community meeting.��“I��’s��really a time for students and teachers to connect with one another, to share experiences, to talk about the fun stuff and the hard stuff,��and to form a community.” This allows educators to step outside of their traditional “teacher” label and become true mentors to their students,��as well as helping students develop mentoring relationships with one another,��Gray said.����

Schmidt agreed excitedly: “Yes! I’ve been with ��ɫ��Ƶ for almost five years now, I’ve served in the Corps as a mentor, and now I get to see AmeriCorps members on my team serve as role models,” he said.��“I am a firm believer that our work starts with the relationships that we build with our students, staff,��and faculty in school buildings.”����

“I am a firm believer that our work starts with the relationships that we build with our students, staff, and faculty in school buildings.” -Tim Schmidt, Impact Manager at Bethune School

The pair also discussed the importance of mentors in their own lives, both personal and professional.��Gray described how Sharif El-Mekki, founder and CEO of the Center for Black Educator Development,��was hugely inspirational for her due to his dedication to��education��equity and��facilitating��mentor relationships among his students.��They also talked about��the��programs��Gray and her��team��are using to support schools during the pandemic.��Gray highlighted the need for schools to shift away from “harsh disciplinary consequences” to a more��restorative��approach, with the purpose of building relationships and��social-emotional learning.��She��talked about��how the��District uses Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, or PBIS, in schools as a “way of explicitly teaching and providing students with positive feedback when they make the right kinds of choices.”����

Schmidt also asked��Gray about some of the challenges her department faces.��She��shared the challenges of��the under-resourcing and understaffing of Philly schools, and��the historic lack of focus developing the school climate. “Climate is the number one predictor of achievement in academic areas,” she said.��“If your kids don’t want to be in your building, they’re not going to learn. You need to make sure they want to be there.”

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After a brief��audience��Q&A��with��Gray and Schmidt,��Bundrige��introduced the next pair of panelists:��Principal Aliya��Catanch-Bradley of Mary McLeod Bethune��School��and Alexia��Nebrao, an AmeriCorps Team Leader at Bethune.

Principal Bradley started the conversation by discussing the importance of leadership��in the midst of��a��global pandemic,��especially when such an unprecedented event��has��exacerbated existing��inequalities. “One of the things tha��’s really clear��is that when the world and our country get��a��cough,��Black folks get��a��cold, and when the country has a cold,��Black folks get the flu,” she explained.��To make it through this uncertain time, Bradley said,��“we��have to��lead with servant leadership, which means that we start and lead with love. Our��school��communities are an extension of our family, and we do all the things we can to��advocate, to��bring��awareness,��and to hold them accountable so we can make it to the other side of this pandemic.”��

“We��have to��lead with servant leadership, which means that we start and lead with love. Our��school��communities are an extension of our family, and we do all the things we can to��advocate, to��bring��awareness,��and to hold them accountable so we can make it to the other side of this pandemic.” -Aliya Catanch-Bradley, Principal of Bethune School

Bradley and��Nebrao��also discussed the importance of��mentorship — not��just the impact that mentors have had on their own lives, but the need for adults to take on mentorship roles themselves.��“I would stress to all adults on the call,” Bradley said, “if you don’t have four or five mentees, then you’re slacking on��your job and we need you to get engaged with some young folks who��are in need of��guidance.” One of the great things��about ��ɫ��Ƶ, she explained, was how��young��AmeriCorps members��are able��to��fill that mentorship role and relate to��students��who are of a similar��age.��While discussing their personal mentors,��Nebrao��shared��how��her high school choir director��inspired her��own passion to pursue mentorship roles: “Having her influence in my life made me realize that I would rather be in a space where I’m inspiring others and letting other people know what they’re capable of.”��Nebrao��is��planning��to continue this work by��pursuing a career in education following her graduation from����ɫ��Ƶ Philadelphia.��

As��Principal��of Bethune, Bradley explained that her current priority for when��schools reopen��is to “check on the social-emotional wellness of our children and to reestablish schools as a safe place where you can come and be a student.”��Nebrao��acknowledged that��even during virtual school, the support of students’ social-emotional��needs��has been hugely important.��“A lot of the students really love the community at Bethune, and they love to be with their peers and to chat about life.��They will talk, talk, talk like no one’s business,” she said.��

Nebrao��also asked Principal Bradley how she believes her efforts to diversify her teaching��staff—which consists of 63 percent teachers of color, compared to 33 percent district-wide—is important to students’ academic��and social-emotional development.��Bradley explained that��it is incredibly important for students to see themselves reflected in those in positions of authority,��as��it helps them to have role��models to��whom to aspire.��“You can’t be what you can’t see,” stated Bradley on the importance of representation��in��diversifying teaching staff.��Nebrao��agreed and reflected on how, growing up��as a young Asian-American woman, she��had never considered teaching as a career path until she��had��a teacher��in high school��who was the same ethnicity as her.����

After another brief Q&A segment,��Bundrige��thanked��all��the panelists and the��audience��for their��leadership in��this work, and for sharing their��insights��at the Lunch & Learn event. You can watch a full recording of the event below:��

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To learn more about ��ɫ��Ƶ Phil��������󾱲�’s other upcoming events,��click here.��To learn more about applying to serve with ��ɫ��Ƶ and start your application,��visit��cityyear.org/apply-now.��