Students should be required to participate in activities that promote and teach interaction in diverse environments.
The Malvern Prep website describes the school as a “private, independent, Catholic school for boys in grades 6 through 12, located in the Greater Philadelphia suburb of Malvern, Pa.”
From this statement alone, Malvern cements itself as being less diverse than any public school or almost any other school in the area. We’re not trying to make Malvern co-ed, but we are stating facts—truth—about our diversity.
As an all-boys school, most of us share the same perspectives that teenage boys have. We do not go to class with girls, work in groups with girls, and we do not have to participate in any activities with girls. Simply by being co-ed, schools such as Episcopal, Germantown Academy, Penn Charter, and public schools are more diverse in thought than we are.
[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]As student journalists, we’re used to anxiety when searching for the right perspectives or the right phrases. The inclination is to avoid the challenging topics, but we shouldn’t stop the conversation because of the discomfort.[/perfectpullquote]
As a Catholic school, Malvern attracts Catholic families and students. The school prides itself on its Catholic foundation, which is why we have chapel service every Monday morning and why we have around 20 full-school masses every year. There are some students who are not Catholic that come to Malvern, but Malvern will always be primarily Catholic, meaning that the majority of the students will always share the same ideals and beliefs.
Another part of the description that inhibits our diversity is the location of our school. The majority of the student body comes from Chester and Delaware counties because of the close proximity to Malvern. According to datausa.io, Chester County is 80 percent white and Delaware County is 68 percent white. Because of these statistics, Malvern tries to find diverse students from places like Philadelphia and Norristown. However, this can be a tough sell because Malvern is difficult to get to from both of these areas. If a student is from Philadelphia, it makes more sense location-wise for them to go to St. Joe’s Prep or even The Haverford School.
These three factors will likely never change for Malvern and will continue to make it difficult to have a more diverse environment. However, there are some ways we think Malvern can become a more open-minded and diverse community.
The Editorial Board agrees that diversity is definitely something to strive for in our community. However, we struggled to find the right words to describe why and how Malvern can aim for diversity. As student journalists, we’re used to anxiety when searching for the right perspectives or the right phrases. The inclination is to avoid the challenging topics, but we shouldn’t stop the conversation because of the discomfort.
There’s a general view that diversity means the percentage of students of color. However, we know it means much more than that. It includes religion, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, location, and more.
Malvern’s statement on inclusion on the website reads, “Accordingly, at Malvern we welcome diversity of all types and integrate our commitment to diversity into the day-to-day academic, athletic, social and spiritual development of every member of the Malvern community.” But is our school truly doing that?
[perfectpullquote align=”left” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]We think that students should be required to participate in academics, activities, and experiences that promote and teach interaction in diverse environments.[/perfectpullquote]
The school has taken steps in the right direction, such as the SEED experiences, the upcoming ST@MP conference, and initiatives behind the scenes. This month, we learned that the Board may be exploring ways to bring in teachers or student teachers who represent greater diversity. If there are more programs or experiences that the school is working on, such as the activities of the Board’s standing committee on Diversity and Inclusion that we learned about this month, we encourage open discussion of those programs to be truly integrated into the school’s day-to-day community and communication.
Of course, it is up to students to seek out experiences that challenge their perspectives. Some Christian Service programs, co-ed activities, and Diversity Club programming push students out of their comfort zones.
However, Malvern should also create ways for students who don’t actively seek out those experiences to be faced with differing perspectives.
It is possible for a Malvern student to go all four years of high school without ever talking to a girl his age. While this may be rare, it is definitely possible. Students are not mandated to participate in any activities or clubs with girls, and if this is out of his comfort zone, a student could simply avoid spending time with people who are different from him.
Sadly, it is also possible for many students to go through Malvern without ever having a conversation with a student of another race, religion, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic background.
In a previous editorial this year, we proposed for Malvern to create requirements that would make someone participate in at least one activity with students from either Villa or Notre Dame. In college and in real life, you will work in group projects with girls.
You will also work with students and colleagues of more diverse backgrounds than our school currently represents. We think that, similar to what we suggested for working with the girls, students should be required to participate in academics, activities, and experiences that promote and teach interaction in diverse environments.
The more situations we encounter that push us to experience different perspectives—even when those situations can be challenging or uncomfortable, even when we struggle to find the right words—the more prepared we will be for life outside the bubble of Malvern Prep.
