Island High School’s staff and students engaged in a Day of Healing last week that centered around the powerful work of Ashanti Branch, founder and executive director of The Ever Forward Club, a non-profit organization that mentors middle and high school students, especially at-risk men of color.

 

Students started the day in their classrooms watching The Mask You Live In, a 2015 documentary that addresses the ways in which boys and young men struggle to understand and express their authentic selves, given our society’s rigid expectations and definitions of masculinity. Students were then given prompts to reflect on how these kinds of gender expectations affect men and women alike.

 

“It feels like the masks don’t hurt men,” one student noted, “because they have all the power. But it does hurt men, because having to act macho and cool is limiting.” Added another, “It’s that idea of having to be jacked, successful, a provider, always hustling. That’s hard to keep up.”

 

Following the viewing, Branch, who is featured in the documentary, led an assembly for students. After talking about his personal experiences growing up – including having an abusive step father and being taught to “turn off” his feelings.

 

“I don’t know what you’ve been through; I don’t know your story,” he repeated multiple times. “But there’s so much more to you than anybody can see by looking at you.

 

During the assembly, Branch led the students through an exercise where they drew the mask they wear on the outside and then the face behind the mask – the face they don’t show.  Mask descriptions included “funny,” “shy,” “positive,” and “outgoing.” Behind the mask, descriptions included: “I don’t know,” “hatred I have for myself,” “not happy,” “worried," and "scared."

 

 “I’m going to invite a new way of thinking,” Branch said. “There’s a power in vulnerability; there’s a power in telling the truth.”

 

Throughout the day, staff led students through a series of activities and exercises meant to help students reflect on their feelings, experiences, and ways that they defend against exposing their real selves to others.

 

This work matters, Principal Melgoza said during the assembly, because “our talking about ourselves, not being afraid to share who we are, doing that little by little, will help us build a stronger community here. That work starts by taking off your masks and being your real selves.”

 

Educational research shows that psychological safety and feelings of safety in the classroom are key to student achievement.  

 

A team of district and Island High staff are currently beginning a conversation that reimagines the continuation school setting and explores what else is possible at Island High. “We want to disrupt the narrative that Island serves ‘those kids’ or ‘bad kids,’” Melgoza says. “We want this to become a place where students thrive and provide multiple pathways to college, career, and successful lives.”