Mission Pollyanna creates discussion platforms for groups of people to explore issues of diversity, inclusion and equity; and to share experiences and knowledge. We believe in being eternally optimistic even in the face of challenge. Pollyanna exists to be part of the solution.

October 2017

Greetings!

Welcome from Casper Caldarola Founder

The two questions I am most often asked are: Why the name Pollyanna? And, Why do I focus so much of my life on equity work? Both answers stem from my childhood. Growing up my mom called me Pollyanna – her daughter who always saw the best in people. The two quotes I remember hearing at home were, “To whom much is given, much is expected,” and, “If you aren’t part of the solution, you are part of the problem.” Such ideals had a huge impact on me and gave life to this organization.  For many reasons it’s a challenging time in our country and I’m proud to have Pollyanna in my life. It provides a purpose and a direction; it allows me to be an activist in the strongest way I know how. In the past, I would find myself admiring friends and colleagues who attended marches––as they experienced the “power of numbers.” Marching and activism of that kind requires specific strengths––strengths that were not necessarily mine. But I cared and I knew I could contribute and build community in other ways.  My feeling of power comes from the conversations the Pollyanna conference platform provides. Founded to explore and expand initiatives that center on diversity and equity, our organization is working with schools to nurture and cultivate more inclusive communities across the country. From students to trustees, having all constituent groups represented allows for all voices to be heard. We have such a vast range of thinking in our country, which is more visible and vocal than ever before. People want to be heard and sometimes being heard is enough. Sometimes taking action is what’s needed. Action is the goal of the Pollyanna conference, and together, we are that much stronger. With that, thank you for being part of the Pollyanna family or thinking about becoming a member!

Pollyanna Family

Contact us to join the growing list of Schools in our family.  The Children's School in Atlanta, GA The Dalton School in New York, NY Far Brook School in Short Hills, NJ Harvard-Westlake in Los Angeles, CA New City School in St. Louis, MO Providence Day School in Charlotte, NC Vermont Academy in Saxtons River, VT

Meet Leah Johnson Trustee Pollyanna's mission of creating platforms for discussion and knowledge-sharing around issues of diversity, equity and inclusion motivates Leah Johnson to serve on Pollyanna's board of trustees. She believes Pollyanna is necessary because across the country, "people are trying to have difficult conversations about race, bias, bigotry and prejudice: it's important to give people the platform to have these conversations."  Leah recalls recognizing the power of student voice during her first Pollyanna conference. A student from New York spoke of his mother who lived in China. When he and his mother talked on the phone at night, his mother would say, "Look at the moon, we're seeing the same moon." Leah reflects on hearing this story, "We don't always think about what kids are grappling with day-to-day. Seeing kids express poignantly what they experience made me feel what we were doing was important...the beauty of it was in the safety developed in the morning of that conference."  Leah hopes future Pollyanna participants will encounter a space to share stories without judgment and listen. She strives for participants to "build a sense of community, and learn how to be not only an ally but a leader in this space." Leah sees potential for Pollyanna to spark dialogue not only within the conference, but for participants to carry conversations forward "to their dining table and to their workplace." Her favorite part of the conference is working with individuals on the ground floor, building ongoing relationships, and developing a community of expertise.

Q&A with Janine Jones Director of Diversity, Equity and Associate Director of Admissions Harvard-Westlake 11 November 2017 hosting first conference What got you interested in Pollyanna? Diversity, equity and inclusion efforts make institutions a better place but as they say the devil is always the details: understanding what it takes to become a more inclusive community is the hard part. Pollyanna isn’t just an open-ended conference where anyone can come and sit for a day and listen to experts. It’s really targeted, with individuals from each school coming in and being able to work within constituent groups with people across different school communities. Then you’re able to reconvene with your school and make a targeted plan for your school. It attracted us that it was a working conference, not just a conference where you come sit and listen.   Have there been any surprises in planning the conference? What surprises me are the similarities: the schools may be different but a lot of the struggles are the same, whether it’s the hiring and retention of faculty and staff of color, or whether it’s diversifying the curriculum. We’re more similar to other independent schools than we are different.   What do you hope attendees will get out of the conference? What I hope they get is an opportunity outside the hustle and bustle of the normal school day to really delve deeply into these issues in a way beyond just a checklist mentality, in a way beyond something that we did or can tout on our website, but really having an opportunity to talk to people who are similarly situated. One of the biggest obstacles to having these conversations is making time: time is extremely necessary and critical, but also difficult to come by. Number two is discomfort: these topics are not easy so people tend to retreat instead of wanting to tackle these issues head on.   How do you hope Pollyanna will impact your school after the conference? I think there’s an opportunity for personal and institutional growth. Conference attendees will be able to take what they’ve learned and be introspective about their experience. There’s also the institutional impact these individuals could have, the fact that you bring in senior-level administrators, trustees, faculty, parents and students. You're hitting so many constituencies with the chance to make an action plan and impact the broader community.   How are you feeling about hosting the conference? We loved the idea when my colleagues went out and visited Dalton's conference, and we were blown away by interest level that we had in our greater LA community. We’re excited that our Harvard-Westlake community is hosting the conference as well, and that will be my biggest joy from all of the hard work to make the conference happen.

Take Action The cost of hosting a Conference at an independent school is not completely covered in the school fee. Please consider a gift to underwrite part of or the entire cost of an independent school. Learn More About Pollyanna Host a Conference

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Pollyanna, Inc. is a New York not-for-profit corporation 501(c)(3). © 2017 Pollyanna. Sarah Waltcher: Writer of interview and Trustee Profile | Louisa Wells: Newsletter Designer