Cornerstone participants, front row, L to R: Kristyn Bridges '08 and Angelina Momanyi '08. Middle row, L to R: Zoe Sponsler-Hoehn '09, Louisa Harstad '08, Tenisha Williams '08, Sean-Michael Groomes '09, Alisha Reynolds '07 and Julian Felder '07. Back row, L to R: alliance director and faculty member Marie Michael, Jeremiah Ellison '08 and Dante Van Court '09.
Cornerstone, A Student of Color Alliance (formerly Blake 101) was created in 2004 to help Upper School students of color identify and negotiate the School's academic and socio-cultural norms, balance the daily opportunities they face in school and life, and provide support for each other. Through Cornerstone, students build both their academic and leadership skills. Additionally, a component of the alliance supports parents and guardians of students of color as they navigate the terrain of their children's experiences at the Upper School, providing opportunities for them to learn about Blake's culture and norms, avenues for involvement, and the best strategies to support their children at various stages in their high school years. The alliance also strives to build community among these parents and guardians so they can share common experiences and support each other.
Cornerstone was developed to support the particular experience of students of color who have different needs than majority culture students and for whom Blake's traditional support systems aren't enough. There is no one definition of what a student of color is or looks like because of the significant range in racial makeup, class background and educational experience. However, the common bond is that because of race, students of color often have a different experience at Blake than white students. Although we would like to believe that Blake is a safe school for all of our students — a school where they feel at home, accepted and appreciated for who they are and where they can find the support they need to be well rounded, successful students — Blake can sometimes be a difficult place for students of color to thrive. Additionally, some students of color who transfer to Blake in middle or upper school have a different educational background than Blake "lifers" and need help adjusting to the change in academic expectations.
Another facet of the essential services Cornerstone offers is fostering cultural competency among students and adults. For many students of color their home culture is different than Blake's school culture. The alliance helps families and professionals at Blake navigate the colliding of cultures, which has and will continue to occur as Blake becomes a more diverse school. When many students of color walk through Blake's doors they have to "code-switch," changing the way they speak, act and even dress in order to fit within the School community. As they return home, they switch back to language, actions and dress that are the norm in their home communities. Being able to code-switch is a form of cultural competency that allows them to gain respect and acceptance and to be more effective within their various communities.
Likewise, as Blake becomes a more inclusive community, it learns to see what has in the past been invisible: its own culture. The School becomes more effective at identifying ways in which it needs to change in order to serve the emerging, more inclusive community it is becoming. Students of color and their families both adapt to and change the school of which they have become a part. Through the process, all involved become better able to identify cultural norms and move in and out of them, communicating and connecting more effectively.
"[Cornerstone] provides a fun environment to study and do homework. In a school like Blake, it is nice to be able to spend time with other students of color while being motivated by a teacher of color." — Cornerstone student
"Our family would have experienced fewer tears had there been a [Cornerstone] when our older daughter attended Blake ... this is a step in the right direction." — Cornerstone parent
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