The Upper School hosted its first ever Consent Week in early March, a program designed to give students a comprehensive outlook on sexuality and consent. The events during Consent Week included hour-long cross-grade debrief workshops, advisory-based conversations, and an all-school assembly with guest speakers from Piedmont High School.
On Wednesday, March 6, members from the Piedmont for Consent Club hosted a one-hour in-person assembly for Upper School students and faculty on the potentially long-term and severe impacts of sexual harm. The speakers cited statistics and featured real Bay Area teenagers’ accounts of sexual consent and violence.
“Women ages 16 to-19 are four times more likely to be sexual assault survivors than the rest of the population,” said an anonymous guest speaker during the assembly,” one speaker shared.
Another speaker read an account from a witness of sexual assault. “Did I walk in before, or after, the rape? Could I have stopped it?” they asked.
After the Piedmont speakers exited the stage, numerous Nueva students approached them with gratitudes such as, “good job!”, “I loved the presentation!” and “thank you!”
Seeing such engagement, Piedmont for Consent Club president Eve Tellegen expressed her enthusiasm for the positive influence their presentation had on the Upper School community
“It was really awesome to see everyone listening so intensely. I hope it sparked some conversations,” Tellegenshe said.
Conversations continued that afternoon in consent-focused debrief sessions, ranging from a breakdown of the chemical effects of Rohypnol—commonly referred to as “roofies,” a sedative medication frequently misused to incapacitate individuals for the purpose of sexual assault—to an affinity space called Masculinity and Consent to explore the intersections of patriarchy and sexuality.
In the Café courtyard, Psychology & SOM Teacher Amy Hunt and I-Lab Teacher Morgan Snyder hosted an interactive paint party to educate their participants about physical boundaries and collaboration.
In reflection of the week’s programs, Student Counselor Sydni Marmor, who directed and planned Consent Week since October, shared her intentions behind the event.
“I thought to myself: ‘If I was a teenager and getting taught about consent… What do I wish I knew? ” My hope was to facilitate conversations around the diversity and complexity of consent and the myriad of ways that it appears in our daily lives,’” she said.
After participating in the paint party with Hunt, Snyder, and 18 other students, Mylie Malden ’26 shared that her workshop prompted her to reflect personally about consent.
“I think sexual consent is really important, but this broadened my horizons about how consent applies to other aspects of everyday life,” Malden said.
In the future, Marmor looks forward to directing more events surrounding consent that cater to the needs and interests of the student body.
“If there’s anything that students would like to see or topics they want to talk about, I’d love to have those conversations and bring them to life. My door is always open,” Marmor said.
