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STAFF SPOTLIGHT:
Dr. Julie Crawford is the new Chief Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Student Support Officer. Dr. Crawford most recently served as the Director of Student Health and Wellness for Prince William County Schools. Dr. Crawford is a lifelong educator who began her teaching career in the Syracuse, New York area prior to moving to Northern Virginia. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Geneseo and a master’s degree from Syracuse University. She received her doctoral degree from George Washington University. Dr. Crawford served as a teacher at Swanson Middle School, an assistant principal at Drew and Claremont Immersion Elementary Schools, director of special education and interim assistant superintendent in APS. She joined Alexandria City Public Schools as the principal of the Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Center before becoming the Chief of Student Services and Equity for over seven years. The Chief Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Student Support Officer is a new role combining the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer and Student Support to create a new, expanded Cabinet-level position to oversee Diversity Equity, and Inclusion as well as Student Services. This allows APS to better support student mental health, address student behaviors and support diversity equity and inclusion within one office.
Ackesha Patrick is the new Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Coordinator at Yorktown High School. She brings more than 12 years of teaching and advocacy experience to the position, the last ten of which have been with APS at Swanson Middle School and H-B Woodlawn as a special education teacher. Ms. Patrick earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Baltimore and a Master of Education in Special Education with a concentration in Autism Spectrum Disorder from Lamar University. Her passion for ensuring that every child feels a strong sense of belonging has led her to support various student affinity groups, facilitate professional development related to race and bias, develop staff and student presentations on neurodiversity, equity, inclusion, and co-found an anti-racist book club. She has a particular interest in working to dismantle systemic inequities in K-12 education. Ms. Patrick looks forward to continuing the efforts at Yorktown and throughout APS to ensure equitable, inclusive, safe, and anti-racist school communities.
SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER RECOGNITIONS:
Sep: Suicide Prevention Month
Sep 15-oct 15: Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month
Sep 23: International Day of Sign Languages
Oct: LGBTQ+ History Month
Oct: Augmentative and Alternative Communications Awareness Month
Oct: National Disability Employment Awareness Month
Oct 9: Indigenous People’s Day
Oct 10: World Mental Health Day
Oct 11: National Coming Out Day
Oct 20: Unity Day
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: We are excited to have 68 colleagues across scales participating in our voluntary Phase II Implicit Bias training. This is a yearlong program of self-reflection and personal bias management. We are thankful for these colleagues who are taking the time to join us on this important journey!
BOOK RECOMENDATIONS: (in partnership with APS Library Services)
This quarter we are sharing book recommendations around the theme of building community. Books provide an opportunity to establish strong connections in building a community of readers. Elementary Book Spotlight: Maybe Something Beautiful by F. Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell illustrated by Rafael López Mira learns she can make a difference in her community through the power of art as the community joins together to create a mural. This picture book is based on the illustrator, Rafael López, and his wife, Candice, community based mural project the urban art trail. This book is included in the Scholastic Rising Voices Library: Elevating Latino Stories. Secondary Book Spotlight: The Little Book of Restorative Justice in Education; Fostering Responsibility, Healing, and Hope in Schools by Katherine Evans and Dorothy Vaandering. (147 pages.) Explore the conditions in today’s schools and how restorative practices such as “Circles” empower school communities with strategies that are peace-building, prevent violence, address trauma, and heal relationships when harm has happened. Visit your school library to discover more resources and explore curated collections.
https://www.apsva.us/diversity-equity-inclusion/ Contact us at dei@apsva.us
