On January 20th, 2017, Donald J. Trump will be sworn in as our 45th President of the United States. This reality acquired responses of excitement, joy, fear, sadness, and every emotion in between for many Americans as well as people around the world. The 2016 election process was a controversial and dividing one, to say the least. Recognizing this, our community has taken initiative to voice hopes as well as fears for what the next four years, or more, could bring with Donald Trump in the Oval office.

In advisory groups students were asked to anonymously record one hope and one fear they may have for the upcoming four years regardless of how they felt of the results of the election. Paisley Dianastasis ’17 described how she felt about the activity: “It brought people together regardless of how they were feeling about the election. It allowed everyone to put themselves in the shoes of their peers and explore other perspective of what this election could mean. For those who were not happy with the outcome, they were able to reflect on possible positive outcomes Donald Trump can provide to our country, and those who were satisfied with the outcome were able to see what fears or concerns the election may have brought about.” Not only was the intended purpose of this activity to unify the student body regardless of contrasting views, but it was designed to help students bring an open mind to their communities outside of school as well. Ellen Johnson, the Faculty Supervisor of the Quaker Youth Leadership Committee, commented on what the club was looking for in the responses: “We knew that many people had opinions, sometimes strong ones, but we wanted a process that would help people listen to others, rather than focussing only on their own comments.” QYLC organized for students as well as faculty to write on index cards their hopes as well as their fears and these cards were pinned up on a bulletin board for all to see. Johnson reflected, “The hope is that students and adults have both taken time to stand by the board and read the cards, and that this had lead to thoughtful conversations, not simply “pro-con” arguments.” The activity forced students to look at the bigger picture, rather than focussing on the outcome, desired or not, which cannot be changed.

Creating safe spaces for students to share points of view and discuss differing points of view with each other is an important part of the Friends School community. Jack Coons ’18 expressed what the activity did for him: “I felt more comfortable seeing other people had the same hopes and fears as I did.” Although the feedback from the activity was anonymous, it served to create a safer space for students to express their opinions and views knowing that they were not the only person in the student body with those views. At Friends, diversity of background, identity, and thought are embraced and and this activity highlighted the way that Friends School, as a community, encourages using differences to unify bonds between one another. Wilmington Friends School’s statement of diversity states, “[We hope] that intentional engagement allows for honest discussion, including disagreement and the growth that can come from it, promoting mutual respect and a broadened perspective for all.” This activity speaks to the mission of Friends to not only embrace and accept each other’s differences, but to emphasize them and use them to engage and bond more with each other.