Knights Roundtable

January 2023

"But then the winter happens, like a secret..."

Whether it's cloudy or sunny enjoy some reading...

Dear Families!

Best wishes for the New Year and welcome back to school. We hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and are looking forward to what's ahead. The beginning of a new year is an opportunity for new beginnings, a chance to start again, a time to reflect on missed opportunities, and a chance to build incremental and executable goals for growth and transformation. The improvements we desire need not be large or ostentatious. Small, incremental improvements that move us in the same direction are vital to achieving our diversity, equity and unity objectives (DEU).

The Knights Roundtable is the Diversity, Equity, and Unity newsletter created for DJO students, family, and community. Each month will center around a theme. The initiative on Diversity, Equity, and Unity is key to the ability of Bishop O'Connell to fulfill its mission and to have a positive effect on society. Sit back, grab a snack, and enjoy reading about current events, student stories, and how to be involved in making O'Connell a place where all students feel proud to say, we are family. GO, KNIGHTS!

“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says “Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.” - Lewis Carroll

❄️ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.🧣

Why do we celebrate MLK?

January 16, 2023, marks the 37th anniversary of the first observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a U.S. federal holiday. Martin Luther King Jr. Day honors the prominent American civil rights activist who devoted his life to promoting racial equality. Although few children question a school holiday, some may wonder why an entire holiday is dedicated to one man. Many Americans were moved by Dr. King's message of peace and justice. The national holiday honoring him is an opportunity to study history and meditate on timeless lessons.

"I have a Dream" speech

Looking for ways to serve? Check out:

MLK Day of Service

Here are some more ideas on how you can serve

Making cards to take to a local senior center, or for Hospital Heroes
Book Drive to take to a local children's hospital
Letters to servicemen and women overseas thanking them for their service
Make a meal for a neighbor/friend in need
Run errands for a shut-in neighbor
Yardwork, tutoring
Trash clean-up in your community

January Diversity History

In 1893, the United States violently deposed Queen Lili'uokalani of the Hawaiian nation. While at war with sugar plantation owners, Queen Lili'uokalani worked to restore native Hawaiians' constitutional rights.
Warsaw's Jewish community created armed self-defense squads in 1943 to prevent deportations. This was the first recorded instance of Jewish resistance.
Shirley Chisholm began her historic presidential campaign in 1972. Chisholm was the first African-American woman elected to Congress and the first to run for the highest office in the nation. In 1972, she stated, "Women, Blacks, browns, the young, the old, activists for social change, and just people who are tired of reading the election results before the votes are counted — will demonstrate that our candidates, policies, and government are not the exclusive domain of the financial community, the political establishment, and the polls."