Fwd: Responding to yesterday's election
[{"sender": "Thomas Jr., Landon", "recipients": ["Jeffrey Epstein [jeevacation@gmail.com]"], "timestamp": "11/10/2016 10:55:01 PM", "subject": "Fwd: Responding to yesterday's election", "body": "Look what has happened to your borough.."}, {"sender": "Dr. Bruce L. Dennis", "recipients": [], "timestamp": "Wed, Nov 9, 2016 at 10:14 AM", "subject": "Responding to yesterday's election", "body": "Dear Packer Families, \nLike many of you, I am writing this message on very little sleep. Last night was like no other in our \npolitical memory, defying the predictions of the most erudite pundits and political \nprognosticators. \nToday, we are spending a great deal of time unpacking the election results with our students \nacross the three divisions — during morning meeting and throughout the day in Lower School \nclassrooms, in Middle School advisories, during Upper School Community time, as well as in \nmany individual classroom conversations. I write to assure you that we will do our best to handle \nthese discussions with balance, sensitivity, and fairness. \nGiven that last week's mock election among Packer's Upper School students showed that over \n8o% favored Secretary Clinton, I don't think it's a huge leap to assume that there was more \ndisappointment than joy in Packer households as results unfolded last night. At the same time, \nthere are certainly Packer families who support Mr. Trump and are pleased with this outcome. As \na school community, we have an obligation to recognize that there will be a broad array of feelings \ngenerated by the election results, and it is our responsibility as a school to make space for these \nfeelings to be expressed thoughtfully and compassionately, as well as to model the tolerance and \nacceptance of difference that are among our core values. No doubt, we have our work cut out for \nus, but I am confident in the good that we can do as a community. \nThere are abundant lessons to be learned from this election: that experts can be wrong; that our \ncountry is even more deeply divided than many of us had thought; and that abundant numbers of \nour fellow Americans feel a deep sense of despair and disaffection with the status quo of \ngovernment. For us here at school, we will use this as an opportunity to talk with your children in \nage-appropriate ways about demographics, the economy, social policy, our democratic system, \nand the rule of law. We will also talk about the world's response to yesterday's election results, our \nindividual responsibilities as citizens to continue to give voice to our beliefs, and appropriate \nchannels of political activism. On a more basic level, we will stress the importance of not being a \ngloating winner or a sore loser, and about the strength of our nation, its history of responding to \ndramatic political change, and the hopefulness of the future. \nAs for you, our families, I offer two resources. Last week at a NYSAIS heads-of-school conference \nthat I attended, the University of Pennsylvania educator Ali Michael spoke about advancing our \nnational dialogue about race. This morning Dr. Michael wrote a Huffington Post piece, \"What Do  \nWe Tell the Children?\", a moving yet direct reminder of how we, as adults, can model our \nresponses for the young people around us. Next Wednesday, November 16, from 6:3o to 8 \np.m., Semeka Smith-Williams and the PA Diversity Committee are holding a \"Post-\nElection Healing\" evening here at Packer. \nPlease reach out if you have questions, suggestions, or simply would like to share your thoughts, \nand take good care."}]