On February 25, Parker, along with the Latin School of Chicago and the University of Chicago Laboratory School, hosted the 12th annual Diversity Job Fair in Parker’s big gym. Each year, along with the three co-sponsor schools, the location and sponsor of the job fair has rotated. Last year, Lab hosted the fair and next year, the event will move to Latin School.

A total of 17 independent schools registered by early February in order to attend the job fair. According to the event’s flyer, this Diversity Job Fair is for “teachers, staff, and administrators of color interested in teaching careers at independent schools.” Any person in the Chicagoland area can come to the fair in search of a job at a variety of independent schools.  Participating schools included The Bennett Day School, Catherine Cook School, Sacred Heart Schools, and North Shore Country Day School, from the Chicago, as well as The Orchard School from Indianapolis and University School of Milwaukee from Milwaukee.

The fair provided an opportunity for representatives from independent schools located all over the Midwest to meet and talk with candidates of color who wanted to learn more about independent schools and possibly apply. In the months prior to the fair, individuals looking for jobs at independent schools could submit applications and resumes through Parker to the fair. At the Diversity Job Fair, these candidates could make their way around participating schools’ booths.

According to Head of the Lower School Kimeri Swanson-Beck, over the past years through this fair, Parker hired sixth grade history teacher Keedra Gibba, Lower and Intermediate School Mathematics Specialist Denise David, third grade teacher Nadia Pardesi, and many lower school assistant teachers.

“We go, and we talk to people for four hours– about what they’re looking for, what we’re looking for,” Swanson-Beck said. “You easily get a sense if a person will enjoy working here or if they’re looking for something else.”

On the day of the fair, attendees checked in at the lobby and then made their way into the big gym. Inside, tables lined the room and people gathered in small conversation groups. Candidates talked to one another, people sipped coffee by the coat rack, and school talked with interested applicants. “There’s a lot of energy,” Swanson-Beck said. “Usually what happens is there’s a line– you’re talking to the first person, and there’s a line behind them.”

Denise David attended the Diversity Job Fair last year at the Lab School, where she interviewed for jobs and received advice. “I did receive a great deal of feedback while I was there,” she said. “When I think of diversity, I’m thinking that the people who represented the schools were pretty diverse– they were helpful in trying to make sure what the jobs were and how to really put forth your best effort to apply for those jobs.”

Finding school representatives and candidates interested in attending the fair takes a lot of planning, mostly — in the case of the Parker — by the Human Resources Department as well as members of the administrative team. “My part of the Diversity Job Fair is the logistics,” Executive Assistant to the Assistant Principal Margaret Dailey said. “So it’s the space, it’s the getting schools to sign up, it’s making sure that the day of, things go as planned.”

Dailey was in charge of ensuring that school representatives attended. “Since the beginning of 2017 and before break, we started asking schools to submit if they wanted to participate,” Dailey said before the event. “I’ve been in contact with the 17 schools that are going to participate and right now, we’re all over in HR.”

In 2005, then Assistant Principal Damian Jones and then faculty member at Latin created what is now known as the Diversity Job Fair. “They came together and said. How can we recruit and retain more faculty and staff of color?” Director of Human Resources Laureen Sweers said. “As far as preparation, we cast our net to participating schools, we start with the local independent school network and invite schools to participate in the fair. Then it’s really a matter of getting the advertisement together.” This advertisement includes media on the radio, signage, and website promotions.

David had worked for CPS before becoming part of the lower school math department. “I received an email,” David said. “I think it was published in a couple of magazines. I went to Lab school, and there were quite a few people and schools that I received interviews from.”

Candidates who learn about the fair through these advertisements usually submit their resumés in advance for school to consider– this allows the participating schools to identify specific people they want to meet with at the fair. “We hope that schools come prepared with a list of open positions– we always do,” Sweers said. “People pre-register to the fair — there’s a link on our website where people can submit their resumes in advance.”

If a school has no open positions for the following school year, the Diversity Job Fair is an opportunity for networking within the education community here in Chicago. Often schools will have fewer open positions than candidates. “Sometimes part of the Diversity Job Fair is just encouraging people to continue their passions,” Swanson-Beck said. “It’s connecting with people– you never know when you might need something.”