On Friday, January 30, Westridge students, in tandem with members of the History Department, hosted a teach-in during lunch: an event focused on giving community members context and information regarding current Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) related events, in addition to providing resources for writing letters to elected officials.

The teach-in came as a response to nationwide anti-ICE strikes and walkouts on the same day to protest the surge in violent altercations and deportations carried out by the agency, including the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis earlier this year.

The previous week, on January 20, some students also participated in a walkout in protest of recent ICE violence. Larkin M. ’27, one of the organizers of the teach-in, said that while there was discussion around whether to participate in a walkout with other Pasadena schools, they ultimately decided to host an informational event that still allowed attendees to be civically engaged.

Teach-ins, a type of forum that originated in response to the Vietnam War, are events designed to encourage discussion and analysis of current events or social and political issues. Larkin observed that this format is particularly useful when discussing ICE, saying, “It’s really important that people know more details about the issue because there are so many more nuances to understand.”

During the lunch, student organizers including Larkin, Shania W. ’27, Lucia F.-R. ’26, and Spyglass editor Tekle S.-J. ’27 gave an informational presentation. They spoke about ICE’s founding, the reasons for the agency’s interest in particular cities, and ways that students can support their communities, such as volunteering and patronizing local immigrant-run businesses. Upper School History Teacher Ms. Sandy de Grijs then spoke briefly about the Fourth Amendment, which provides individuals protection from unreasonable searches and seizures, and requires law enforcement to obtain a warrant. Ms. de Grijs then provided insights on the unconstitutionality of ICE’s actions and the threat to democracy, discussing an article from Democracy Now and a short video from New York Times Columnist Jamelle Bouie.

Attendees were also provided with resources to write letters to both California and Minnesota senators and government representatives, urging for action to be taken against ICE. In total, nearly 70 letters were written.

For many students, the most meaningful part of the teach-in was the shared space it provided for collective discussion and reflection.

Katherine D. ’28 noted, “Part of the reason why I came was because it’s a place for everyone to gather and talk about the same event at the same time, which I think is really impactful.”

Juniors Chiara H. and Rebecca F. also shared their thoughts. Chiara said, “I love civic engagement; I do it a lot outside of school, so it’s wonderful to see I can have a place in my community doing that.”Adding on, Rebecca mentioned, “I try to take all the steps I can to engage in my community, and it means a lot that Westridge facilitated a conversation and opportunity to write letters.”

Although the teach-in was only planned within a matter of days, it received a substantial turnout, with Upper School students, faculty, and staff present. Ms. de Grijs reflected on the event, saying, “I thought it was really awesome—I thought the kids did an amazing job. I think they pulled off something really wonderful, and so many people came, and just to be a part of it, I thought it was great.”