There are various display cases in the cafeteria and hallways, many of which have been empty for years. However, this changed during the first week of October; Voices of Equity (also known as VOE) have made their presence known in both spaces by updating their displays, sharing resources for the students of The Nest.
A few key differences to note in the displays are, “the senior batons, which are things every senior makes before they leave Voices of Equity,” sophomore Mia Siegel says. “They have little quotes and stuff on them, and then they’re rolled up into little scrolls.” Before the club started making their changes, the only thing in the case was a single string. Senior Corbin Peacock said, “They were blank spaces being wasted in our lunchroom, and we thought we could repurpose it to be a Voices of Equity display.”
Peacock continues, “It has a calendar that is going to be updated; it has all of our plans and current events and activities, we’re planning on that so that people can stay updated with something other than the announcements, since we know that people don’t always pay attention to the announcements.”
“We also have ‘Don’t hate, educate’ in our lunch display, which is the VOE motto; it basically means we never discriminate against people whose beliefs don’t align with ours. We simply educate people, which is one of the main goals of the club,” Siegel continues. “Somewhere in there is the pin that has the logo for VOE, and we also have the poster that lists our different beliefs and goals.”
According to English teacher and club sponsor Mr. Michael James, it had been many years since the displays had been updated; the display in the hallway did not even have anything in it, so the club “claimed” it. During a meeting during Hawks Soar, the club brainstormed many ideas for the displays, including a suggestion box, a t-shirt, and even glitter – which was very much contested against, according to Siegel.
Peacock adds, “This club does so much for this school. I’ve been in a lot of clubs, but I’ve never been in a club that does as much as VOE does. We are constantly putting forward projects, and it’s unfortunate how misrepresented the club is. It’s really awesome; we’ve done presentations to the school board, we’ve arranged school events with other schools and VOE programs. It’s an amazing club, and it’s a great opportunity for people, so we think more people should be in it and be a part of what we do. It’s equity – everyone should be a part of it.”