Michael PowellDirector of Community, Equity, and Inclusion
The Boys’ Latin School of Maryland
I deeply believe that a community must be an equitable space in which all members feel a strong sense of belonging, can be their most authentic selves, and come together to hear from one another and grow. My passion for ensuring that everyone feels a sense of belonging comes from my own life experience as a Black boy in Virginia. I attended a high school across the county from my home, which meant getting up early to beat the traffic on a school bus and having one of my parents pick me up from extracurricular activities late in the evening. I was one of the very few students of color in my school community, and there were many moments when I felt like I did not belong or have a voice.
When I became an educator, I wanted to be part of the kind of change that would ensure that students would not feel the insecurity and disconnect that I knew too well. I have dedicated my life’s work to creating school communities where students and faculty not only feel seen but heard. It is essential for the development of any school community that all students feel a sense of belonging.
In my current role, I’m able to embody my definition of community. At Boys’ Latin, we create space for students to better understand themselves and one another, and we use a value-focused framework to facilitate productive conversations. The power of a community is found in the way that we are able to support each other collectively—to feel that sense of belonging in a way that we cannot individually—by being able to bring our authentic and whole selves to our school community.
What’s your independent school journey? Tell us at [email protected].