Scholarship named in honor of MKA

GLSEN, (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) an organization that works to train teachers and others to reduce homophobia through education, recently informed The Montclair Kimberley Academy Upper School Campus that a student scholarship administered by their organization will be named The Montclair Kimberley Academy GSA Scholarship.  The naming is in honor of the work done at MKA in establishing a GSA club, and promoting tolerance throughout the MKA community.  The scholarship will assist local high school students who wish to attend training events in the tri-state area, and can be used to offset transportation, registration and room and board costs.

Advised by faculty members and Foreign Language and English Department Chairs Dr. Michael Houston and Dr. Ellen Ferguson, Upper School students recently held a Rock for Equality Band Night that raised over $700 for the GLSEN organization.  In a letter of appreciation, Bonnie Magnuson, Northern New Jersey GLSEN Co-Chair, wrote, “We especially appreciated your donation because in this period … groups like ourselves which maintain a relatively low profile … get decreased support.”

GSA is a recent addition to the Club offerings at MKA, so, for Dr. Houston, “Receiving this kind of widespread recognition feels great since we are such a new club!”  “The acknowledgement is particularly meaningful,” notes Dr. Ferguson,  “because our students share a goal of community building and work very hard to ensure that their community includes everyone.”