October 11, 2022 Dear Branson Alumni,
I wrote to you in August to invite you to participate in the healing and reconciliation work we are doing with a group of alumni, parents, faculty and staff. I am writing again to reiterate this invitation and encourage you to join in our work if you are interested. Our first meeting will be on November 16, from 5:30-7 pm here on campus.
To remind you, I’ve outlined below why we have undertaken this project, the work we have done thus far, and the work we have in front of us. Please email us at healing@inonezl.com if you would like to come to the meeting, learn more about our work, or have questions. |
In 2020, one of the survivors from the 1970s approached me with a request to collaborate in creating a path to healing and reconciliation for any members of the Branson community who had been impacted by sexual abuse at Branson, the ensuing investigation, and the release of the report. Last fall, I, along with Branson’s board chair Quoc Tran, several Branson administrators, and a group of alumni and staff began to meet monthly with the assistance of our Director of DEI, Dr. JuanCarlos Arauz and a second trauma-informed therapist. Together, we created a “Healing Circle” that allowed all of the participants, especially those who had been harmed, to safely process their experiences with the ultimate goal of forgiveness and reconciliation.
Working together monthly for a year, we created a name and description for the group, as well as a purpose statement and goals we hoped to achieve. All of this information is encapsulated in the statement below. |
We are now seeking to engage the greater Branson Community to work towards the development of legacy projects and events. These efforts may include the planning of one or more events that will allow interested community members to come together in different ways to not only remember the pain and trauma caused by the legacy of sexual abuse at the school, but also to forgive and reconcile as needed or desired, as well as working to plan a permanent installation on campus to memorialize the legacy and the courage of the survivors.
We would like to invite you, our Branson community, to participate in these efforts. If you are interested or if this opportunity speaks to you, please reach out and let us know at the following email address: healing@inonezl.com and we will be back in touch with more information.
Sincerely, Chris Mazzola Head of School
PS - If you are interested in seeing the work that we are doing with current Branson students, parents, faculty and staff on this topic, we invite you to visit our Student Safety page on inonezl.com or review this summary. |
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P.O. Box 887 ⋅ Ross, CA 94957-0887 ⋅ 415-454-3612 ⋅ inonezl.com |
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