Middle School Diversity Conference
![]()
"The Masks We Wear"
February 27, 2024
Registration: 8:45 a.m.–9:10 a.m.
Programming: 9:15 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
The Haverford Middle School welcomes school groups of 12 to 15 students to the 2024 diversity conference, discussing "The Masks We Wear." Student registrations cost $60 each. One adult per group may attend, free of charge, while additional adults cost $60. Lunch is included. We will close signups once space is filled.
Registration for this event is now closed. Please email Middle School Language and Middle School Diversity Coordinator Kerry Kettering-Goens.
Featured Speaker Mykee Fowlin
We are thrilled to welcome psychologist, performer, and poet Mykee Fowlin as our featured speaker.
To varying degrees, we all wear masks. We are conditioned to hide our true selves, out of fear of being rejected and/or judged. We are taught to devalue or ignore our pain, as if its utility is better served hidden than exposed.
But what if this approach is ultimately to our detriment, not our survival? What if our authentic self is all we have, and our pain is the gift that we use to change this world? And imagine, as a foundational premise, we are raised and trained to celebrate differences, as an inclusive process, not just a tolerable one. In his one-man presentation, ‘You Don’t Know Me Until You Know Me’, Dr. Mykee Fowlin takes the audience on an experiential journey, having them reexamine core precepts that were taught to us from as early on as 1st grade. He uses many of his gifts—humor, performance art, poetry, storytelling, psychology, theatrical monologues, and his personal journey—to create a moving experience for all who are open to this evolution.
Poetry Competition
Share your students' work!
Students from registered schools may submit poems no longer than one page, centering on the topic of identity. Please submit your poems by Feb 22. We will accept three submissions per school. All submissions will be on display in our theatre's lobby during the conference. Awards for first, second, and third place overall will be given on that day. Winners will be welcomed to read their work aloud at the end of the day.
Send submissions to Middle School Language and Middle School Diversity Coordinator Kerry Kettering-Goens.
Participant Responses
"I went twice in middle school and it was such an enlightening experience getting to meet people from other schools and hearing about their schools. I liked how we were all coming together in one big group to try to figure out what we could do as a community."
"I love helping the middle school students find ways to make their schools a better place to learn and grow for everyone there."
"In middle school, I attended the MS diversity conference, and it really opened my eyes and gave me perspective."
"The MS diversity conference is a really unique, exciting opportunity. I attended in eighth grade, and honestly had a life-changing experience. I left the conference with a completely different outlook and perspective on topics I had never really thought about before."
"We bring our students to this conference each year because it's a unique experience, and they love having the opportunity to engage with students from other school around topics related to diversity."