{"id":11090,"date":"2020-12-03T15:01:47","date_gmt":"2020-12-03T23:01:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=11090"},"modified":"2020-12-03T15:01:47","modified_gmt":"2020-12-03T23:01:47","slug":"marymount-school-embraces-a-broad-new-vision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lesliedinaberg.com\/wordpress\/?p=11090","title":{"rendered":"Marymount School Embraces a Broad New Vision"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Marymount<\/a>

Marymount School Embraces a Broad New Vision, originally published in Santa Barbara Independent on November 19, 2020.<\/p><\/div>\n

Independent School Welcomes\u00a0Diverse Backgrounds<\/strong><\/p>\n

Founded as an all-girls Catholic\u00a0school in 1938, Marymount\u00a0School<\/a> is an evolving educational\u00a0story. Over the decades, according to\u00a0Head of School Christina K. Broderick<\/a>,\u00a0the Riviera campus has made \u201cthis slow\u00a0progression from an independent Catholic\u00a0school to an independent school\u00a0with a Catholic tradition to an independent\u00a0school with a couple of Catholic\u00a0traditions to now where we are as an\u00a0independent school that really focuses
\non the cultural and spiritual diversity of\u00a0every background.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kaleidoscope<\/a>, the school\u2019s signature\u00a0curriculum developed more than a\u00a0decade ago in collaboration with UCSB,\u00a0\u201cuses the top 10 world religions to allow\u00a0students to find out about how we\u00a0decide on our moral decision-making\u00a0and ethical decision-making through
\nthe lens of different ethnic cultures\u00a0and backgrounds, both religious and\u00a0nonreligious around the world,\u201d said\u00a0Broderick.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are really here to welcome all\u00a0faiths and traditions and to make sure\u00a0that we have a very inclusive and welcoming\u00a0community to all faiths and\u00a0ethnic backgrounds,\u201d said Broderick,\u00a0who recently formalized the inclusive\u00a0values of Marymount<\/a> with new Mission
\n& Vision statements.<\/p>\n

Discipline also looks a bit different\u00a0than the old-school ways. \u201cIt\u2019s not about\u00a0disciplining kids \u2014 it\u2019s about restorative\u00a0communication,\u201d she said. \u201cMy middle\u00a0schoolers here at Marymount will\u00a0always know that Mrs. Broderick will\u00a0say \u2018self-reflection leads to self-correction.\u2019\u00a0We don\u2019t really do detention here\u00a0or punitive discipline. It\u2019s all about how\u00a0we figure out how we made a mistake\u00a0based on our own ideas about something.\u00a0And how do we then restore ourselves\u00a0and the community and say I\u2019m\u00a0sorry, change your actions, move on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marymount also recently announced\u00a0a forward-thinking policy on Diversity,\u00a0Equity and Inclusion (DEI), while\u00a0expanding its offerings to include\u00a03-year-olds. A new director of student\u00a0wellness and DEI and a licensed\u00a0clinical social worker, a full-time\u00a0learning specialist, a full-time\u00a0school nurse, and a full-time director\u00a0of student wellness are available
\nto work with all students and families.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have a traditional org chart,\u201d\u00a0said Broderick. \u201cWe have learning and\u00a0leadership teams, and we all make very\u00a0collaborative decisions. It\u2019s fun \u2014 it\u2019s a\u00a0lot of fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though she admits it sounds \u201csuper\u00a0smarmy,\u201d Broderick is proud that her\u00a0favorite social media hashtag is #HappyKidsLearn.\u00a0\u201cIf they\u2019re happy, their\u00a0brains are going to be open, and they\u2019re\u00a0going to be able to take in all the information\u00a0we\u2019re going to give them,\u201d she
\nsaid. \u201cBut if they\u2019re anxious or they\u2019re\u00a0worried about their social interactions\u00a0or worried about stuff at home, they\u2019re\u00a0not going to be paying attention in class.\u00a0There\u2019s a ton of research to support that,\u00a0but whether the discussion is inclusivity\u00a0or social emotional wellness or the\u00a0pandemic, we want these kids to feel\u00a0comfortable and safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

marymountsb.org<\/a><\/p>\n

\"SB<\/a>

SB Independent Cover, Schools of Thought, November 19, 2020.<\/p><\/div>\n

Originally published in the Santa Barbara Independent<\/em><\/a> on November 19, 2020. To read the section as it appeared in print, please click here.<\/a><\/p>\n

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