 I'm recording this because I wanted to share a message from my heart, as if we were in the auditorium. I'm hurting, and our students, staff, and families are hurting. The events of the last two months have been unprecedented and all too common. The deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd happened in a context. Until we change our hearts and the systems that allow these murders to happen, they will keep happening. Over 100,000 people have died from COVID-19, and the death rates are much higher than our black and Hispanic communities. This happens in a context where life expectancy for blacks is 5.3 years less than for whites. Until we change our hearts and the systems that allow these deaths to happen, they will keep happening. I believe that Arlington High School is part of the solution. We are not immune to racism. Ten years ago, black students were five to seven times more likely to be suspended out of school. We interviewed students and found hidden patterns of bias, bullying, harassment, and degrading language. Our school is a safe, peaceful, and high-achieving place, but we are not the school we aspire to be. We've worked to build relationships, to examine our biases, to change practices that harm students of color, and to make sure that discipline is consistent. By listening to our students and collaborating with them, we've cut the rate of suspension so that only 34 students were suspended last year out of roughly 1,400. Nonetheless, our students of color are still two and a half times more likely to be suspended. It breaks my heart, and so we're committed to working on our role in the system that has this impact. So what can we do? Our strength is in our relationships and our community. Our teachers are sharing resources to have conversations with students. Under normal circumstances, we'd meet, talk, and communicate and support each other. We would listen to each other and deepen our understanding. Social media does not support this kind of conversation. Please engage with your teachers and students in your Google Meets. I want to hear from you as well, and we'll be posting a Google Meet to students so that you can join me in a discussion to see how we can support each other. I will be having conversations with our teachers as well. Feel free to send me your thoughts. Last, what can you do? Please reach out for support if you need it. Please support your friends. Please stand up to bias. Please educate yourself from reliable sources. There's too many out there trying to get us excited or angry. And please find ways to get involved in the real work in making things better. Thank you. Go ponders.