This past week, the upper school participated in Ally Week led by the GSA club. GSA is the Gender and Sexuality Alliance, a club which is meant to promote inclusion and understanding of the LGBTQ+ community. Ally Week is a national event sponsored by GLSEN foundation. It is a national student-led week to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and its allies. During this week, students aim to help their classmates and teachers understand the needs of the LGBTQ+ community and how they can support, empower, and amplify this community.

A review of Newman Ally Week events:
On Monday, leaders of GSA announced at assembly the events of the week and handed out Ally Week wristbands to students and teachers. At lunch on Tuesday, members of the upper-school helped to create an Ally Week banner. They signed the banner to signify their support and many wrote inspiring messages. Due to the rain, sidewalk chalking rainbows was cancelled on Wednesday. On Thursday, GSA presented at club assembly and gained many new members at club fair. At lunch on Friday, GSA sponsored a pizza lunch for students and teachers. Here the leaders presented a power-point on what it means to be an Ally and opened it up for discussion on the topic. Overall, Ally Week at Newman was a great success among students and teachers!

Additionally, though not directly related to Newman Ally Week events, several students put being an ally into practice by volunteering at the Walk to End HIV on Sunday. This was an event held at Crescent Park in the Marigny. Though it was an early Sunday morning, with volunteering starting at 6 am, it was a rewarding experience for students.