Correction: This article has been updated to remove an unsubstantial quote.

    Walking through the halls as blurred faces pass by. Classes without friends sometimes feel like being caged in with strangers. At times, it seems the only thing you know about your classmates is their names.

     In the Upper School, some students have expressed a sense of isolation and a lack of unity between them and their classmates.   

     “I feel like there’s too many friend groups, we’re too separated,” sophomore De’Shawyn Long said.

    Sophomore Sara Ferris agreed. “We’re all nice to each other, but … no one is really merging,” she said.

     These feelings are exactly what Community Tampa Bay, a program Shorecrest has adopted this year, is designed to address.

     Community Tampa Bay is a nonprofit organization that promotes cultural education and cross-cultural interactions. The organization’s mission statement, “We empower inclusive leaders to change their communities by providing cultural education and facilitating difficult conversations. We believe that cross-cultural interaction and dialogue are the necessary tools we need to break down discrimination in all its forms,” is reflective of their values of inclusion and engagement.

      These values also mirror the core values of the Shorecrest community, according to Senior Associate Director of College Counseling and Interim Co-Director of Diversity & Inclusion Meghan Schneider.

     However, the need for this program is often underscored by students’ observations of their social climate. Some feel as though the school’s core values need to be emphasized with some students more, especially when navigating sensitive topics. 

     “I still think racism and homophobia are [problems] in our grade,” sophomore Maggie Majeski said.

     This school year, Community Tampa Bay Program Coordinator Maya Goldstein and Chief Executive Officer Quenita Oats came to lead the sophomore class through monthly workshops designed to break down social barriers and intolerance as well as help students navigate different parts of their identity. Activities ranged from conversations without body language to fast-paced discussions.       

     “We were talking about one thing that other people may not know about you, and I was talking to [sophomore Wesley Arrington]. It really opened my eyes to how people are similar to me, but also different from me,” Long said. 

     Majeski agreed. “Hearing about other people’s experiences at Shorecrest, especially Sara’s [about] growing up at Shorecrest, where everyone’s predominantly white … really changed my perspective,” she said.

     Some students, however, still perceive the Community Tampa Bay program as a waste of time. They feel like it is only causing further separation amongst the class.

     “I think they need to change up their strategy a little bit, because asking teenagers to understand complex race relations is really hard without context or examples,” sophomore Bear Brummett said.

     Ferris expressed disappointment with the dismissive mindset of some students. “I think it’s kind of unfortunate that a lot of people in our class are not receptive to [the program] because I think empathy … is something really important that a lot of people in our class need to learn,” she said.

     Regardless of how students feel about the program, Shorecrest hopes it can provide growth to the sophomore class.

     “Our goal is to find the most productive ways to build a community where every student truly feels they belong,” US Head Dean and 12th Grade Dean Stacy Alexander said. “My hope is that this momentum continues to build with accountability and self-awareness at the forefront.”

     Community Tampa Bay has similar goals for its time at Shorecrest.       

      “I am hopeful that, by the end of our time together, our workshops and conversations will have impacted the identity this sophomore class has as they become juniors, [then] seniors and go out into the world,” Goldstein said.