Six AIM Upper School students are headed to Atlanta today to participate in the Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC) sponsored by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). This is the first time that AIM Academy students have participated in this multiracial, multicultural conference which includes student leaders in 9th-12th grade from more than 300 schools across the country.

The conference, which takes place December 8th -10th in conjunction with NAIS' People of Color Conference, focuses on self-reflecting, forming allies, and building community with the assistance of trained adult and peer facilitators. This year's theme, Dreaming Out Loud: Waking Up to a New Era of Civil Rights, will include an exploration of civil rights as part of a discussion about the modern issues that face students, schools and the world.

AIM's student leaders were selected to attend the conference after completing a written application explaining their interest in the program. The students selected, Michaela G. (11th Grade), Journey J. (9th grade), Grant K. (10th grade), Jared N. (12th grade), Ryan V. (11th grade) and Grace W. (10th grade), represent a diverse group of ages and cultural backgrounds.

The premise of SDLC is that in order to be good leaders, students need to learn more about their own identities and the world in which they live. Students return from the conference having a better sense of themselves and ready and eager to become change agents in their communities.