Canyon High School is hosting a special free community performance of the STAND UP Diversity Assembly on Tuesday, October 19 at 6 p.m.
The event is part of a program to promote cultural understanding, sponsored by several local agencies, including the William S. Hart Union High School District and the City of Santa Clarita.
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Canyon High students will have the opportunity to see this interactive assembly during one of their classes that day.
The creator of this program, Brian Jeffrey, an English teacher at Los Osos High School in Rancho Cucamonga, is a 2008 National Education Association Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Award recipient, awarded for his commitment to bringing students and the community together.
The Hart District and administrators at Canyon High School are bringing Jeffrey’s highly regarded STAND UP show to Canyon High School, to help students gain a deeper understanding of diversity issues and how to change stereotypes while increasing campus cohesiveness across color and orientation lines.
STAND UP has performed at various Hart District High Schools over the past five years, with Canyon High School being the first to bring it to the SCV in 2006.
“Even though STAND UP is based in Rancho Cucamonga, it has become a regular component of our District’s comprehensive diversity effort,” said Greg Lee, Hart District Director of Human Resources and Equity Services.
Brian Jeffrey co-founded a club called Socially Together and Naturally Diverse or STAND, at the school where he teaches. The club was a driving force in keeping the community calm and together during the 1992 L.A. Riots.
In addition, he started a group called STAND UP, which performs this play, written by Jeffrey, based on the true life experiences of past members of STAND. It uses a combination of satire and intense drama to deal with prejudice and stereotyping. It empowers both the audience and the performers to transform their lives and get involved in their communities.
Tuesday’s performance is just one event included in A Season of Diversity, the five-month long program held by the City of Santa Clarita to promote cultural diversity in the community.
To read more about A Season of Diversity, click here.