On June 3, the EC Garden was covered in rainbows as parents, students, and community members gathered for a Breakfast My Way to celebrate Pride. This year’s Pride breakfast was held not only to celebrate Pride in the Gaynor community, but also to pay tribute to the Gaynor faculty who facilitate the student and employee LGBTQIA+ affinity group spaces. This year marks the third year of Gaynor’s affinity group program.
Affinity groups provide a safe and supportive space for those in historically marginalized communities to gather and share their experiences. It is a powerful tool for building community and belonging. The Rainbow Alliances are spaces for both allies and members of the LGBTQIA+ community in the Silver, Green, and Blue Clusters, and for Gaynor faculty and staff.
From rainbow napkins, garlands, an inflatable heart reading “Love is Love”, and rainbow flowers that were perfectly placed in the garden beds, the EC Garden was full of joy and color. Attendees were treated to a spread of rainbow bagels, provided by Cater To You. Pride-themed stickers and pins were spread among the tables for attendees to take and display their identity and support for the community with, well, pride!
As attendees helped themselves to bagels and stickers, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Stella Mulatu welcomed everyone to the breakfast before introducing the faculty being honored that morning: Blue Cluster Head Teacher Catherine Thomas and Art Specialist Anya Cropper, co-facilitators of the Blue Cluster Rainbow Alliance; Green Cluster Head Teacher Brendan Stackhouse and Science Specialist Brittany Rosenberg, co-facilitators of the Green and Silver Cluster Rainbow Alliances; and Orange Cluster Assistant Teacher KB Ball, co-facilitator of the employee Rainbow Coalition with Anya Cropper. Each facilitator received a token of appreciation in the form of a Gaynor-branded rainbow plush for their hard work creating these safe and supportive spaces for both students and employees and for taking on leadership roles that foster a more welcoming school community.
The facilitators offered some words of reflection on what it’s been like to create these spaces for both the students and employees, and how it’s affected both the larger community and their own experience at Gaynor. Ms. Cropper noted that this work has “meant a lot to me particularly as someone who grew up with two mums in school, when that wasn’t very cool back in the early 2000s, so that was something I was a little shy of [at the time]. But now, to be able to stand in front of all of my coworkers and my students, and be really proud about who I am and feel so comfortable at Gaynor has meant the world to me.”
Mr. Ball also spoke about the rewards of the work he does as a facilitator, and how supportive Gaynor’s leadership has been of these groups. “There’s something particularly special about being able to celebrate Pride and being LGBTQ in a school, where so much of the history of the queer rights campaign was stemming from the belief that queer people don’t belong in education, and they don’t belong around children as teachers, mentors, and role models. I just wanted to take a moment to appreciate how special it is to celebrate Pride not only in June, not only along with these incredible people, but also to be able to celebrate Pride in a school, as a teacher, with other educators who are doing this work, and with the students who are showing up as their authentic selves at school,” he said.
Maz R., representing the Blue Cluster Rainbow Alliance, also spoke to attendees about the importance of ensuring that students at Gaynor feel supported, safe, and proud of who they are. In particular, he thanked Teacher Thomas and Ms. Cropper for being “pillars of support” for both the group and for himself.
Ms. Mulatu wrapped up the breakfast by thanking the Advancement team who made the breakfast possible, and had a special shoutout for a member of Gaynor’s security team, Argenis Pierret, who created the beautiful flower decorations for the event. She also announced that Gaynor will once again be marching in the NYC Pride March on June 28th, for the fourth year in a row.
Stephen Gaynor School is special not only because of the way it supports students academically, but also because students are encouraged to come to school as their authentic selves and take pride in their identity. This Breakfast My Way once again demonstrated how the Gaynor community works together to create spaces where everyone feels they belong.
Breakfast My Way is an event sponsored by the Parents’ Association DEI Committee to bring parents together to learn about the breakfast traditions, holidays, and cultures of their fellow Gaynor families. You can read more about previous Breakfast My Ways here.
