Four Upper School students recently joined more than 2,000 students at the NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference in St. Louis, Missouri. This conference was a multiracial, multicultural gathering of student leaders from independent high schools across the globe that allowed participants to develop their cross-cultural communication skills, design effective strategies for social justice practice through dialogue and the arts, and learn the foundations of allyship and networking principles.

Our four attendees shared their takeaways from the conference during Upper School assembly yesterday, noting how transformative and motivating the experience was. Tristan Choi ’25 was inspired to create the Asian Students Association at Waynflete. He hopes that the group will provide “an affinity space to discuss Asian experiences and changes that need to happen, but also the beauty of our culture.”

The Perspective Project is an Upper School student-led initiative that uses the power of conversation to learn from—and celebrate—diverse perspectives and experiences. The Project recently held their first event of the year featuring Margo Walsh ’82, the founder of MaineWorks and the United Recovery Fund. Margo discussed her work helping new Americans, people in recovery from substance use disorder, and previously incarcerated individuals who face barriers to re-entering the workforce. MaineWorks helps people access transportation to job sites; rental assistance for sober living; workforce outerwear and tools; dental, vision, and mental healthcare; and assistance developing practical living skills like financial literacy. Margo shared one essential piece of advice: “If your voice shakes, you have to say it.” Stay tuned for more events from the Perspective Project!

Students in Intro to Computer-Aided Design (CAD) are gaining experience in designing intricate components using sophisticated CAD software. This software is used to design precision machines and components across various industries, from aerospace to computer chip manufacturing. The parts that engineers meticulously craft in CAD are then brought to life by highly skilled machinists. During a recent field trip to Align Precision, students gained a firsthand understanding of the specialized tools and expert personnel required to manufacture these intricate parts.

In 2015, British hair stylist Joshua Coombes founded “Do Something for Nothing,” a movement that inspires people to share their time with people in need and to make a difference in their own way. Joshua shared his journey with Upper School students yesterday in Franklin Theater, recounting stories of meeting individuals experiencing homelessness on the streets of London, engaging them in conversation, giving them a new look, and simply being compassionate. After the assembly, Joshua met with Upper School members of Students Shoulder to Shoulder, an organization committed to inspiring generations of ethical leaders, to further discuss his work.

Ninth- and tenth-graders recently participated in grade-level service days as part of the Upper School Community Engagement Program. They spent the day at Runaway Farm in Cape Elizabeth, one of the many Cape Elizabeth Land Trust properties that are open to the public. Students cleared invasive species and built “rabbitats” for one of the largest colonies of New England cottontail rabbits in Maine. Consider exploring this beautiful network of trails—and ask a ninth or tenth grade student to show you their handiwork!

Waynflete has received a $50,000 grant from Unum to support The Can We? Project, one of several initiatives run by the school’s Third Thought Institute for Civic Engagement program. Grant funds will be provided over a two-year period.

The Can We? Project grew out of Waynflete’s commitment to diversity as a condition of excellence. The program empowers students to address the fractured state of our country and world by harnessing their unique capacity to engage in productive dialogue in the service of the common good. By cultivating empathy and the skills of dialogue across differences, the project helps prepare the next generation of civic leaders to address today’s urgent challenge of destabilizing and paralyzing political polarization. By asking questions for deeper understanding and being better able to recognize the humanity of others, Can We? participants learn how to create common ground on which to collaborate.

“Unum has long been recognized as a company that is committed to developing and supporting healthy communities,” said Third Thought Director John Holdridge. “In offering financial support to The Can We? Project, Unum‘s Inclusive Impact Fund has recognized that building empathy and fostering civil dialogue are all essential factors in creating a positive and hopeful future for everyone in Maine.”

The initial iteration of The Can We? Project brought together 30 students from seven high schools across Maine who represented a diverse range of backgrounds, political viewpoints, and life experiences. Beginning with a three-day weekend retreat, and followed by occasional collaborative sessions over a five-month period, students worked with experienced facilitators to learn how to talk across deep divides, develop a shared vision of a better Maine, and design an interactive forum with political leadership. Students were asked to question their own ideas, challenge each other, and collaborate. In the process, they developed basic democratic skills that seem lost in this divisive moment: valuing dialogue, mediating differences, holding elected officials accountable, and working collectively for a higher purpose.

“At Unum, we recognize the importance of giving back to our local communities,” said Cary Olson Cartwright, Assistant Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility at Unum. “This grant to The Can We? Project is a meaningful step in Unum’s ongoing mission to work together with community partners and create positive change.”

With financial support from organizations like Unum, The Can We? Project will scale up over a five-year period, working directly with up to 1,800 students from 45 high schools across Maine. This work will be carried out in collaboration with Partner School Liaisons and individuals at organizations such as Narrative 4, Maine Policy Institute, Jobs for Maine Graduates, Maine Principals Association, Maine Youth Votes, and the Maine C3 Extended Learning Opportunities Network. 

“This significant Unum grant is a clear indication that the program is resonating in the community,” said Waynflete Head of School Geoff Wagg. “There is a tangible benefit to creating opportunities for kids to learn dialogue skills. We’ve seen it with our own students. Now, with the help of organizations like Unum, we can extend this skill training to high school students across Maine.” 

Anna Siegel ’23 recently traveled to Washington, DC, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act and advocate for further conservation legislation. Read more about Anna’s trip (in her own words!) below:

“Last week, I had my first day of senior year at Waynflete. Right after classes that Monday, I went to the Portland Jetport and left for Washington, DC with a blazer, business shoes, talking points on conservation policy, and a school bag full of homework. Once I landed in the nation’s capital, I explored the incredible network of buses and subways that makes up the DC Metro system before crashing at my hotel in the NoMa neighborhood. 

I was in DC to represent Sierra Club Maine at an event hosted by the Endangered Species Coalition. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), a powerful piece of legislation that has been instrumental to the restoration of the Peregrine Falcon, Humpback Whale, Bald Eagle, American Bison, and dozens more plants, animals, birds, and insects. The ESA was passed with bipartisan support and signed into law under the Reagan Administration, and it remains popular today. Polling has shown that 80% of Americans approve of the ESA. Yet, while there is much to celebrate about the ESA’s success in the past 50 years, we must fight to protect it so it can remain strong and continue preserving biodiversity. 

38 pieces of anti-ESA legislation have been introduced in the congressional session thus far, and the ESA is starved for funding. With the proper resources, the ESA could do so much more to stave the current biodiversity crisis and combat the sixth mass extinction that is ongoing due to human-induced climate change and ecological shifts. The demands from the Endangered Species Coalition at this event were simple: Congress members need to oppose attacks and funding cuts on the ESA, approve increased funding measures for endangered species programs, and support House Resolution 195—policy introduced by Representative Neguse of Colorado.

The first day of the event was mostly filled with a training hosted by Defenders of Wildlife, followed by a symposium with some fascinating panels on the success and challenges of the ESA over the past fifty years. At the training, the group of Maine activists got together—myself from Sierra Club Maine, Doug Hitchcox and Ches Gundrum from Maine Audubon, Tara Thornton from the Endangered Species Coalition, and Halliday Moncure from Defenders of Wildlife—to strategize our messaging for our meetings with the Maine congressional delegation. A congressional delegation is the collection of Senators and Representatives that represent a state. For us Mainers, this delegation is Representative Pingree (Democrat, District 1), Representative Golden (Democrat, District 2), Senator Collins (Republican), and Senator King (Independent). 

My second day in DC started at 6:00 a.m. to grab breakfast and coffee before speed-walking the forty minutes from the hotel to Capitol Hill. Our first congressional meeting was with Rep. Golden at 8:00 a.m., where we spoke with the Representative (and Archie, a golden doodle who is the pet of one of his staffers and hangs out at the office). Then we moved quickly to the Senate side of Capitol Hill for a chat with Senator King at his 9:00 a.m. “Capitol Coffee” hours, then a 10:00 a.m. chat with Senator Collins, then back to the House side for an 11:00 a.m. meeting at Representative Pingree’s office. 

How these meetings tended to go:

1. We waited in a lobby area, making small talk with staffers and exchanging business cards.
2. Had a short meeting or photo opportunity with the politician themselves, where we quickly made our asks and told our personal stories or “narratives.”
3. Had a longer, sit-down meeting with the environmental or conservation staffer of the politician, where we answered questions, concerns, dug into details, and left them resources to peruse.

Luckily, we got to meet face-to-face with every member of the Maine congressional delegation except for Representative Pingree, who had planned to meet with us until she unfortunately had to cancel due to illness. We did meet with her staffer, though. Each meeting was mostly positive, though we had to combat some misinformation around the efficacy and relevance of the ESA. Some other highlights were running into Senator Elizabeth Warren in the street as she was heading to a CNN interview, hearing Senator Cory Booker and activist Terry Teresa Williams speak at the ESA Awards Ceremony, and making some incredible connections with folks at the American Bird Conservancy and other organizations in the Endangered Species Coalition.”

On August 24, Waynflete and Third Thought Initiatives for Civic Engagement welcomed educators from across the state for the Can We? Kickoff, a professional development event for Can We? Project partner schools. The Can We? Project is one of Third Thought’s outward facing initiatives, and it provides opportunities for Waynflete Upper Schoolers and other high school students to learn and develop the skills that enable them to create a dialogue across political lines and transcend other differences. 2023 promises to be the Can We? Project’s biggest year since its inception in 2018, and we are looking forward to working with approximately 300 students from 15 partner schools across Maine. For more information about the Can We? Project (and all of Third Thought’s initiatives), visit waynflete.org/community/third-thought.