A group of students in the school are working to bring back the Diversity Club – but as a Gay-Straight Alliance organization.

Several years ago, Baldwin had a Diversity club that included LGBT activities but was also designed to serve as a safe space for ethnic, racial and religious minorities as well.

Throughout the years, the group held safe space social activities and hosted voluntary school-wide Day of Silence events, in which students would remain silent all day in solidarity for LGBT students who felt silenced by discrimination.

“We were open to [serving] all aspects of diversity, but the student need was for LGBT youth,” previous Diversity Club sponsor Sarah Lyle said.

Lyle eventually gave up the position to a teacher who has since retired, but in the 2014-2015 school year, interest waned and the club disbanded.

“We just didn’t get the numbers on a consistent basis,” Lyle said.

But while the Diversity Club operated, Lyle said, she noticed increased levels of tolerance and acceptance in the school.

Former Diversity Club member Cassidy Harms, a junior, decided she wanted to continue and revive the club under a new name. Harms and junior Aubrey Shaw have been working toward re-establishing Baldwin’s Diversity Club as a Gay-Straight Alliance.

“It’s something I think is very important to have in high school,” Harms said.

A Gay-Straight Alliance is a club that all are welcome to join, discuss issues, and work to better lives of LGBT youth.

“We want this to be an accepting space for everyone, regardless of sexuality,” Harms said.

Harms proposed the idea to counselor Caroline Babik, who supports the group’s goal to create inclusiveness.

“We want to create a space specific for LGBTQA+ (students) to feel safe and to create tolerance and knowledge,” Babik said.

Recently, the group organized a leadership council of students to create a presentation to the school board on the why they feel a GSA is more important than a more general Diversity Club, Babik said.

Senior R.J. Bubacz said he hopes that the group will succeed in being a space for those who don’t feel comfortable elsewhere.

“I think it’s good for the school to reach out to people who don’t feel comfortable in other clubs,” Bubacz said.

The group hopes to organize by May, and seek a name change for next year.

“Our key term for the whole group would be acceptance,” Shaw said.