Community Engagement at Fayerweather Street School

A core part of this work is creating spaces where participation is open, joyful, and expansive. Each year, our school participates in the HONK! Festival in Somerville, a grassroots celebration of activist street bands and community music. Rather than treating this as a closed school event, we intentionally invite surrounding schools, families, and community members to join our crew in the days leading up to the weekend with an art decorating event to prepare for the parade and then the actual parade itself. This open invitation reflects our belief that the arts are communal and that music can serve as a bridge across neighborhoods and identities. Our presence at HONK is not just performance; it is visibility, solidarity, and shared joy. 

Inside the school, we also work to build spaces that affirm identity and belonging. Through the years, we’ve always hosted BIPOC Fayerweather families at movie nights and dinners. In an effort to broaden our reach, we started our BIPOC Family Game Night, which was created as a welcoming, low-pressure opportunity for BIPOC families within and beyond Fayerweather to gather, connect, and simply play together. By inviting not only current Fayerweather families but also families from the surrounding community, we intentionally expand who feels ownership and comfort in our space. Events like this help foster cross-family relationships and signal that our commitment to racial identity development and community care extends beyond the classroom.

Access and equity are also central to our Free Kids Clothing Exchange, which is open to anyone in the community. By removing barriers to participation and making the event fully accessible, we shift from a “charity model” to one rooted in dignity and mutual support. Families give what they can and take what they need. The exchange becomes not just about clothing, but about reducing waste, redistributing resources, and with that, we are able to strengthen local networks of care. Our students are learning about access every day, and it’s important to model what it looks like to share resources equitably and show up for one another in tangible ways.

In all of this work, storytelling is essential. Fayerweather is a school deeply committed to progressive education, identity development, social responsibility, and joyful learning. My role involves sharing that story thoughtfully and inviting others to participate in it. Community engagement, for me, is about “spreading the privilege” of Fayerweather; ensuring that our resources, creativity, and commitments circulate beyond our immediate student body, something the school has always aspired to do, but that requires continual intention and care. It means building authentic partnerships, opening our doors, and recognizing that education does not and should not exist in isolation. 

If you have any interest in learning how to get involved, please email me!