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Doane Stuart

Genuine Acceptance

I’m not crying. You’re crying.

Opening up this beautifully written message from our very own Mr. Costa this week didn’t just cause a “great, now there are tears in my coffee” kind of reaction, but one that resonated so deeply, because it was, it is, so accurate. Mr. Costa was able to put into words what everyone feels about their experiences at DS.

It’s often that we take our safe places for granted, because they exist for us, every day. We don’t need to continually think of them because if we did, then they wouldn’t be what we needed to feel safe, respected, honored, or accepted. But when you read something like this, you begin to think of and remember your own “why”. This is just one of many, many “whys” that alumni, faculty, staff, students, parents, and community feel about being a part of this family of families, and we 100% needed to share it. Thank you, Mr. Costa – you are a part of our “why” too.

Why Doane Stuart?

As an educator, who has worked in multiple other schools, it would be easy for me to list reasons why I love working here and how it is different from and better than the other schools for which I worked. Instead, though, I will focus on just one element of this community, the one that strikes me personally as the most meaningful.

Our kids are an eclectic bunch. In some ways that is an understatement. While Doane Stuart prides itself on being a multifaith community, I see it as more than that. Yes, it is true that we have Jews, Catholics, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Wiccan, and atheists walking down our halls, learning in our classrooms, and participating in our clubs and teams. There is also a wonderful mix of races and socioeconomic levels, and there are LGBTQI kids. But then, there are some who are gothic, some who are Eagle Scouts,  some who go to furry conventions, some love science, some who want to devote their lives to theater, some who are self-professed geeks, and some who are still coming to terms with who they are and working on their own labels in the process.

What is different here is there isn’t tolerance of the other. There is genuine acceptance. The people encourage each other in ways I’ve not seen elsewhere. There are friendships that have grown and continue to thrive in this varied, wonderful community.

When I got here, that surprised me. While it no longer surprises me, it still inspires me.

F. Stephen Costa
Director of Technology

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