Studies show that students perform better and are more engaged in a healthy, respectful and supportive school culture that encourages them to participate in activities, ask questions and take intellectual risks.

Our team at the Brunswick School Department works hard to create a climate in which all students (and their families) feel valued and accepted, and I’m proud of how our students have responded.

Laurie Catanese, principal at Brunswick Junior High School, regularly shares stories of student-led efforts that make BJHS a welcoming place — from a Civil Rights Club presentation on acceptance to a meeting of the Queer and Allies Club that draws more than 40 students. She tells me that everyone is valued at the school, and either students hold their peers accountable or they make a report to a trusted adult when a line has been crossed.

BSD also dramatically ramped up family communications, especially with parents who speak languages other than English. Hawo Abdille, our ESOL coordinator for Multilingual Student and Family Engagement, and her team offer workshops for families that cover topics such as transportation, standardized testing, college/career planning, and what families and students should expect from their educational experience. They encourage two-way communications and welcome families who stop by with questions. The district also hosts Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging parent/community meetings, which have been extremely well-attended.

ReachMyTeach, one of my favorite tools, is a platform that allows our staff to connect with all families in their language of choice. A teacher simply types a message in English, and ReachMyTeach translates and sends the message in the appropriate language to families in their class. Parents can reply in their native language, and that message is translated back into English for the teacher. ReachMyTeach also knows the delivery preference — text, email, etc. — of each family. Suellyn Santiago, our chief academic officer, says ReachMyTeach completely changes how we communicate with families. It’s a game-changer!

Welcoming students also means removing barriers to access. For example, most of the nearly 40 clubs at our high school meet during “Flex Time,” which is similar to the old homeroom period that many of us grew up with. This allows students to participate in a club activity and be able to leave at the end of the regular school day, something especially important to those who don’t have alternative transportation, need to be home to babysit siblings or work at an after-school job.

Flex Time also builds community and a sense of belonging by keeping the same student Flex group and teacher together for the four-year high school career. In addition to club meetings and school-wide activities, students may use Flex Time to work on assignments or group projects. While building relationships with classmates, Flex Time also gives students an important connection with a staff member for guidance and emotional support during their high school career. This last piece is part of a concerted effort to ensure that each student has a trusted adult to talk with should a need arise.

Finally, in addition to celebrating themes from Hispanic Month to Women in Science, our curriculum has changed to more accurately represent the rich diversity in history. While we still teach about the contributions of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, students also learn about Wabanaki Studies, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Mahatma Gandhi, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Jackie Robinson.

Practicing acceptance is an integral part of the education experience at the BSD and the right thing to do. As Katelin Urgese, dean of student support and engagement, says, Brunswick has many crossovers between student groups — so you’re likely to see a linebacker in a club with a trombone player — and students want spaces where their peers feel welcomed and accepted.

Brunswick High School Principal Troy Henninger often shares a thoughtful quote from Mark Twain, “Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” That says it all.

Phillip Potenziano is superintendent of Brunswick schools.