DANVERS — More than 300 members of the St. John’s Prep community and guests filled the Dianne and Ray Carey ’67 Field House this past week for the 14th edition of the school’s Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Reception and awards dinner. The annual ceremony, held between the Martin Luther King Jr. Day federal holiday and the start of Black History Month on Feb. 1, recognizes recipients who have embodied Dr. King’s pursuit of fairness and equity by creating opportunities for change.
Head of School Dr. Ed Hardiman called upon attendees to work together to build a school community, a nation, and a world where all are known, valued, and loved.
“The work of King and social justice advocacy in general is rooted in the metaphor of bridge-building,” he said. “King’s work launched an era of change. An era of work that is very much unfinished, and one we are all called to advance.”
Sponsored by the St. John’s Office of Multicultural Affairs and Community Development (MACD), the event recognized Salem resident Gary Cherry, a former federal special agent with the U.S. Department of Education and the parent of a 2018 Prep graduate, who received the school’s No One Walks Alone Advocacy Award. The honor is reserved for a member of the extended Prep community who serves as a role model and agent of change within and beyond the school community. Cherry was selected on the basis of his work to support the Prep’s MACD office and for his dedication to building diversity and multicultural life at St. John’s.
“I’m of the belief that one voice can make the difference, wherever you are, however small it might be, however in the minority it might be,” Cherry, now a small business portfolio specialist and bank officer for Needham Bank, said. “It’s just a matter of using that one voice to create change — in your own individual life and in the lives of others.”
St. John’s also presented Prep English teacher Pamela Leete with the school’s Justice and Equity Award for her commitment to empowering all members of the Prep community, both inside and outside the classroom. A native of Medford and resident of Danvers, Leete has been a steadfast supporter of the MACD office since her first day on campus six years ago, fostering an environment of inclusivity in which students come to know their unique gifts and talents, take risks, and become the best version of themselves.
In her acceptance remarks, she noted that her classroom goals are merely spokes of a more foundational wheel: helping students find their voice.
“Our curriculum lends itself to opening up conversations about how we treat people and how we get information about people,” she said. “It’s about sharing stories and talking about who gets to dictate the narrative. I believe those conversations give them the language they’re going to need to have a discourse out there in the world. I want them to hold themselves accountable for what’s coming out of their mouth and how much knowledge they have.”
