In October of 2020, we approved funding for “We Need Diverse Books!”. We were gratified to support this important step at Weston High School to enhance curricular offerings of diverse issues and authors in WHS English classes. The breadth of reach of the project, potentially reaching all students from 4th through 12th grade over the course of the next 5 years, was an additional important factor in our decision. In the words of Christine Cincotta, the English Curriculum Instructional Leader for grades 6-12 at that time, the grant “will guarantee that every single student at WHS will read at least one full-length text that addresses inclusion and representation.”
As Ms. Cincotta reported in May of 2021, “Thanks to the generosity of WEF, over 400 students had a chance to read books that include various voices by diverse authors. Teachers collaborated to create new units that promoted justice and inclusion, while also teaching critical thinking, writing, and communication skills. There is often a misconception that English teachers teach books to students. The truth is that we use these books as tools to help guide our students to develop the skills to communicate their understanding of the human condition.”