The Climate of the Community is the Responsibility of the Citizens of the Community
Holocaust Remembrance 2022
The Town of Concord’s Annual Holocaust Remembrance, co-sponsored by the Concord-Carlisle Human Rights Council, was held on Sunday, April 24th at 7:00 PM at the Concord Town House. The event was also accessible via a Zoom Webinar for those not able to attend in-person. Irwin Hipsman of Concord and Sid Levin of Carlisle, who are first cousins and the sons of Holocaust survivor parents, told their mothers’ stories along with reflections on what it was like to grow up under the dark cloud of their parents haunting memories. Their mothers, Ella Hipsman and Joyce Levin, are sisters who survived the Holocaust by hiding in the forests of Poland along with the remaining members of their family. Today, Ella and Joyce have been blessed with three sons each and live within a few miles of each other outside of Boston. Minuteman Media taped the event and you can access the YouTube recording by clicking the link below.
Representatives from CMS Gender and Sexuality Alliance: Lily Baum, Claire Roeser, Justi Mora Y Araujo
Representatives from CCHS Spectrum Club: Phe O’Leary, Francis Davies and Alex Nugent
Climate for Freedom Award Honors Two Concord School Groups
The Concord-Carlisle Human Rights Council is pleased to announce that this year’s recipients for our Climate For Freedom Award are the Concord Middle School (CMS) Gender and Sexuality Alliance (formerly CMS LGBTQ+ and Allies) and the Concord-Carlisle Spectrum Club at Concord Carlisle High School (CCHS). The Award is given every two years in recognition of a local organization that fosters a climate of freedom in its work and mission. Past recipients include The Robbins House, The Nature Connection, Minuteman ARC, Gaining Ground, Open Table, and many more. This is the first time there are co-recipients of the award.
The student-initiated CMS Gender and Sexuality Alliance, which began in 2017, promotes the rights of queer students by creating a safe space and has pushed for a more inclusive and accepting school environment. The seventh grade English team, for example, has adopted a class novel with a queer protagonist and is teaching about homophobia, heterosexism, and heteronormativity. The group currently gathers twice a month with about 30 students in attendance. Current faculty advisors are Hannah Vincent and Donna Amidon. Laura Regis was the former advisor.
The Concord-Carlisle Spectrum Club, initiated back in the 1990s as part of the statewide Safe Schools initiative, was founded by a group of students, teachers, and parents. Spectrum welcomes all CCHS students and staff, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or status as a questioning person or ally. They promote interest in and tolerance of diversity and work to support a positive and welcoming school climate for all. Meetings provide support and social space for students (and sometimes faculty and staff) to come and talk about their week and the challenges they are having; as well as education about local, national and global trends in the area of GLBTQ rights. It is a judgment-free space where people can be themselves. Faculty advisors are Rebecca Loprete and Ben Kendall.
The Awards were presented on Sunday, April 3rd in the Learning Commons at CCHS.
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