Leadership at Parkway Northwest Peace High School

For my fieldwork and tutorial experiences for three of my courses this semester...I have been placed at Parkway NW Peace High School, a very unqiue public high school in the city of Philadelphia. The schools framework is surrounded by social justice and peace, with classes such as, "social justice and leadership"Parkway Northwest Peace High School itself advocates for peace and justice in society through education, and thus, its very existence, shows leadership in advocating for students in education and society. It is Philadelphia's first college preparatory public high school committed to the principles of peace, social justice and conflict resolution. However, I feel that the very principles the school chose to create its framework and missions upon: peace and social justice, which is infused into the curriculum and instruction, highlights the very definition of leadership, specifically in the education culture and mainstream society. Parkway Northwest Peace High School has seminar days where they invite local and national speakers and programs, peer mediation program, as well as, mentors for all incoming students. My teacher, Mr. Winocur, plays a very intricate role in leadership and change within the school. His very liberal instructional and curriculum practices speak to the change necessary in the education field. He allows students to express themselves and engage in activities often rejected, unconsidered, and excluded by traditional schools and standards. For instance, he brings in African films (by African producers and directors, filmed in Africa) and literature so that students are exposed to ‘Africa’ in a context that debates to biased, and very often, racial context that Africa is seen in America or the Western world.