Coach McPhee’s youngest son is black.

The idea alone, of a white conservative republican raising an African-American born in L.A. to an addict mother, certainly raises eyebrows. Yet it is part of the unique message Regis Jesuit seeks to embody in its annual Diversity Day.

Coach hosted one of the more popular workshops titled “He Calls Me Coach”, with his son flying in from Texas to speak alongside him. In the presentation, he said, “I grew up without a father figure. At age 16 [as a football player at Overland], I was going to be forced to move and Coach offered to take me in. At that point, he became my father.”

The two laughed as they told their story of several ups and downs, showing that they clearly had a genuine relationship. Coach became slightly emotional as he said, “When I first said the words ‘I’ll take him in’, it changed my life forever.”

While this discussion was one of profound diversity, it was only one of several outstanding presentations that the students enjoyed. Boys Division senior Frank Cahill attended Doc Sage’s “Civil Rights Movement for Introverts”, a discussion about how introvert power goes unrecognized in an extrovert-dominated society. Cahill, one of the highest-achieving individuals at RJ, said, “I am rather introverted, and I enjoyed this presentation.”

Girls Division senior Maura Rose enjoyed a workshop with a salsa dance teacher, saying “salsa dancing was a fun way to learn more about a cultural dance that has a global community.” The dance involves Afro-Cuban and Afro-Caribbean roots, and in itself is diverse.

Evidently, the workshops are completely unrelated to each other and embody an extremely wide spectrum. And that is just the point. Students were forced to open their minds and hearts to step beyond their comfort zone to understand the cultural life of others. Part of the RJ education, as said in the Mission Statement, is to “develop a connection to the world community.” A day like this does just that.