On November 5th, 2021, the Etna Dixmont School participated in the 3rd annual Day of Welcome celebration presented by the 3rd and 4th grade Civil Rights Team. Our civil rights team and civil rights teams all across Maine celebrated and promoted the idea that our school communities are for everyone. More than 175 welcoming events have been held by civil rights teams in Maine schools since the launch of the annual Day of Welcome campaign in 2019.
This event is sponsored by the Maine Office of the Attorney General through the Civil Rights Team Project, who support us in our work of engaging the school community in thinking and talking about issues related to race and skin color, national origin and ancestry, religion, disabilities, gender (including gender identity and expression), and sexual orientation (for the younger grades we use the term All Kinds Of Love).
The CRTP is a school-based program that supports student civil rights teams, who engage their school communities in thinking and talking about the six protected categories under the Maine Civil Rights Act. The program is now 25 years old and is available to all Maine schools, grades 3 and up, at no cost. There are currently approximately 175 schools participating.
The EDS civil rights team used the Day of Welcome to make a powerful statement about the kind of school community we all want, while introducing ourselves and engaging our peers in understanding our ongoing work.
Let’s all do our part to ensure a school community where everyone is WELCOME!