
January 2024 - Lewiston Porter
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEI&B)

Defining DEI&B and what's coming up?
DEI&B stands for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, and it’s an educational philosophy, as opposed to a singular program. In alignment with New York State’s Social Emotional Learning standards, the Lewiston Porter DEI&B team was formed to prioritize an inclusive working and learning environment, and ultimately improve the school district’s culture to create a sense of belonging for all members of the Lewiston Porter community.
Coming up this winter in DEI&B...
*As there is no official heritage or cultural month designated to January, Lewiston-Porter recognizes Asian Heritage for the month of January. Though Asian American & Pacific Islander Month is celebrated nationwide in May and South Asian Heritage Month is in July (for which we won't be in school to celebrate), we will celebrate Asian heritage this month, in congruence with many traditionally Asian celebrations. Therefore, this month bulletin boards will be developed by building DEI&B staff members, and announcements will be made to acknowledge Asian Heritage Holidays. In February, the International Studies Department - in collaboration with the Chinese language students - will celebrate Asian culture with a Chinese New Year performance on Thursday, February 22nd to welcome the Chinese New Year (which runs from February 10 - 24, 2024).
*Monday, January 15, 2024: Lewiston Porter honors the memory of Martin Luther King Junior. We will not have school this day, but announcements will be made on Friday, January 12th and Tuesday, January 16th commemorating Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement.
November & December, 2023
Winter Spirit Week
The Spirits Weeks across Lewiston Porter were designed to reflect a diversity of world holiday celebrations. As for the bulletin boards, they were developed by Niagara University students and DEI&B faculty liaisons, and these bulletin boards were designed to include educational materials about the winter holidays many families around the world celebrate. Included in these boards were beautiful images and age-appropriate descriptions of holidays such as Christmas and St. Nicholas Day (Christianity), Diwali (Hinduism), Hanukkah (Judaism), and many others.
November: Native American Heritage Month
Students from Niagara Wheatfield's Indigenous Heritage Club performed a traditional dance and song for students from the IEC and PEC, who were learning about the Tuscarora Nation and Iroquois Confederacy in Social Studies classes.
Traditions: Kindergarten Holiday Visit
This year the traditional Kindergarten Winter Holiday activity included a visit with Santa, reading holiday tales (like A World of Cookies for Santa), a "how-to-play dreidel" station, a cookie-decorating craft, and a holiday sing-along activity.
Lewiston Porter Unified Sports
Though the season runs through February, the Unified Bowling Team began practicing in December of 2023. This program offers an inclusive opportunity for Middle and High School students with and without disabilities to play on the same bowling team. It was inspired by the principles that training & playing together allows for:
1) a quick path to friendship
2) developing understanding and empathy
"Merry Christmas" ~ around the world
LP Leadership Class students (led by Owen Sowicki) wrote Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year in eight different languages on a window in the High School!
Ms. Carolyn Quigley
Secondary Schools DEI&B Coordinator: Ms. Quigley brings leadership experience in the DEI sphere, and for more than twenty years, has been a social studies teacher at Lewiston Porter High School. In her tenure, Ms. Quigley has not only taught all four grades at the high school, but has also been an advisor for Lancer Council (2004-2007), a member of the Building Leadership Team (2010-2023), a member of the district's Restorative Practices Team (2021-present) and Climate and Culture Team (2021-present), and the Musical Theater director (2008-2018). Feel free to reach out to Ms. Quigley at cquigley@lew-port.com to discuss future DEI related activities!
Ms. Joy Khatib
Elementary Schools’ DEI&B Coordinator, Mrs. Khatib, brings leadership experience in the DEI&B sphere, and for more than twenty five years, has been a teacher at Lewiston-Porter. In her tenure, Mrs. Khatib has not only taught grades 3, 4, 5, and 6, but has also been a lead teacher for the Multi-Age Service Learning classroom, the Kiwanis K-Kids and Builders Club advisor, Modified girls soccer coach, GOTR Coach, member of the Intermediate Leadership Team, member of the district's Restorative Practices Team, IEC Leader in Me Coordinator, and a member of the "One District One Book" initiative. Feel free to reach out to Mrs. Khatib at jkhatib@lew-port.com to discuss DEI related activities!
LP DEI&B Team
Our Lew-Port DEI& B team includes:
*LPCSD Board of Education
*Administrative Team: Mr. Paul Casseri (Superintendent), Dr. Heatehr Lyon (Assistant Superintendent and Director of Curriculum & Instruction), Mr. Christopher D'Anna (HS Principal), Mr. Andrew Auer (MS Principal), Mrs. Tina Rodriguez (IEC Principal), and Mrs. Tamara Larson (PEC Principal)
*Building Liaisons:
PEC ~ Ms. Nicole Sandretto & Ms. Breanna Burke
IEC ~ Ms. Leah Khatib & Ms. Julie Stevener
MS ~ Ms. Lisa Scelsa & Ms. Stefanie Bond
HS ~ Dr. Paul Moskaluk