Danny Lobsenz ‘25
How should schools balance the need to maintain a respectful environment while simultaneously addressing sensitive world issues such as the current Middle East conflict and the war in Ukraine? What is St. Andrew’s responsibility in these conflicted times?
Head of School Robert Kosasky states that it is “not our job” to take political or international relations positions; however, this does not mean St. Andrew’s does nothing in response to these events. He states that “we pray for people’s welfare. People who are being hurt.”
Another way the school responds is through education. Even if students are not studying the specific part of the globe that year, Mr. Kosasky expresses that the school searches to find “some way we can have a speaker” about that topic or “some way we can organize a forum for discussion.”
He said that “it does not mean we drop everything we have planned out,” but “it is important that students have some understanding of the history, context, and culture of why that conflict is so critical.”
Mr. Kosasky wants students to know that St. Andrew’s “does not issue statements on everything.” According to him, “if we write
to our community about something, in addition to trying to be empathetic, to acknowledge people’s pain and grief, it is really important to me that the school actually tells the community something constructive, something the school plans to do.”
This could be something as simple as the middle and upper school gathering in prayer, the counselors or chaplains being there for the students, or the school hosting a special event or speaker to help educate people.
Regarding discussions of these issues, he wants students to have a “sense of confidence and resilience.” Students should be able to have an opinion that is not necessarily popular, as long as it is respectful,” he said.
Dr. Robert Gamble, Co-Coordinator for Diversity, Equity, and Belonging (DEB), said that “it is important developmentally for students to learn how to grapple, discuss and debate things that people are going to have very competing viewpoints on.”
According to Dr. Gamble, the school can create an environment where students can have structured discussions. He said that problem areas can arise when discussions are open-ended and “things can be said that don’t necessarily represent what someone believes or is not fully thought through.”
He said that “the best discussions arise out of connections to classroom content.” He also said that there are other opportunities to create spaces in activity periods or advisory periods for these conversations.
Both Dr. Gamble and Mr. Kosasky emphasize the im
portance of the school’s norms of discourse. Mr. Kosasky said, “Everyone is entitled to their opinion. We are not all entitled to express our opinions using whatever language and completely insensitively to how it impacts others.”
Dr. Gamble encourages students who feel unheard to find a place in different affinity groups. He also wants students to understand that if they feel silence on the part of adults, or “feel a lack of care or a lack of interest,” a lot of adults at the school do care deeply about these topics. They try to be mindful as a community of “not trying to drive the conversation too much.” According to him, the faculty want students to be “spearheading” these conversations.
Junior Alan Mehmetoglu, President of the Model UN Club, said that “the school’s role is really crucial and might be the most crucial sort of aspect to maintaining a respectful environment.”
He also said that discussions of these issues are more than appropriate to have on campus, and he hopes that the school will do more to foster these discussions. He sees St. Andrew’s as “a very inclusive school, and in such an inclusive school, it only makes sense to provide a space where all viewpoints can be heard.”
He said that when the school talks about these issues, it does so very well; however, he feels that “we could be improving just by having more discussions.”
Ultimately, many students hold many different viewpoints about these issues and the extent to which they should be addressed in the school environment. While difficult, it is important to find the right balance so students can learn and think while maintaining a sense of community and mutual respect.
Photograph by Matt Ramey via WUNC