Students in math teacher Ralph Hisle’s Honors Geometry class spent extra time in their second period this morning for the first OneWhitman session of the 2021–2022 school year. 

Principal Robert Dodd kicked off the anti-bias program by leading a welcome presentation for students over Zoom to describe OneWhitman’s aims. Dodd said that the initiative — now in its third year — intends to ensure that Whitman is a positive space for all, and that students continuously try to build a more inclusive school community.

Dodd also encouraged students to maximize their OneWhitman experience by actively participating in the program and by working to develop healthy relationships with peers and teachers. 

Like last year when OneWhitman took place virtually, both students and staff will facilitate the class discussions, aiming to lead engaging conversations that will heighten the community’s shared awareness of prejudice and other pressing topics. 

Calculus teacher Meg Thatcher said she has hope for the future of OneWhitman, despite the pushback the initiative received previously. 

“I do think that we’ve had issues at the school with race in the past,” Thatcher said. “I’m looking forward to having some of those hard discussions, and hopefully people talking about those topics so we can build more of a community.”

For the rest of the year, OneWhitman will take place twice a month on Wednesdays as a 45-minute extension of second period. 

“Jump in,” Dodd said to students during his presentation. “Get involved. We want you in it.”