REBOOT Hosts Spring Summits

REBOOT and REBOOT Jr., Upper School and Middle School student committees dedicated to empowering our community to ethically explore technology and social media, have hosted their spring summits. These events were planned and facilitated by Kent Place student leaders and centered on the theme “Online Safety.” 

On Tuesday, March 31, REBOOT Jr. hosted the Misinformation and Online Safety Summit for more than 60 middle school students and educators from the Morristown Beard School, All Saints Episcopal School, Far Hills Country Day School, and The Willow School. The group’s leaders began the summit by defining misinformation and online safety and reviewing the ethical decision-making method. Participants then worked together to create their own conversation cards, a resource Kent Place uses to educate and discuss ethical issues. Each contains a short case study and is meant to spark conversation about an ethical topic. 

The leaders then facilitated a discussion of a case study about a student struggling to identify misinformation online, raising the question of who is responsible for the spread of misinformation — is it users, platform developers, or content creators? This case study set the stage for a student-led conversation about different types of misinformation and how to avoid them.

Upper School REBOOT leaders Jenna Carey ’26 and Erin Kim ’27 were guest speakers, giving a talk on the ethical use of platforms such as Snapchat and ChatGPT. After a pizza lunch, REBOOT Jr. leaders concluded the event by reviewing some dos and don’ts for safe use of social media. 

“I’m incredibly proud of our eighth-grade leaders for their exemplary ability to run this summit, demonstrating remarkable leadership and passion for guiding their peers on these critical topics,” said Alicia Regnault, the Educational Technology and Support Specialist who advises REBOOT Jr.

On Tuesday, April 14, the Upper School REBOOT committee hosted its Third-Annual Summit for students and faculty from the Morristown Beard School and Newark Academy. Their event dove into the same theme through the lens of human trafficking. In planning this summit, committee members worked with Connect for Freedom, a nonprofit organization whose goal is to end online exploitation and human trafficking by way of awareness and prevention education.

The summit opened with students Jenna Carey ’26 and Misa Glover ’26 leading a presentation on the dangers of being trafficked through online connections, and the correlation between large sporting events and human trafficking in light of the World Cup coming to MetLife Stadium this summer. They reviewed the types of platforms and tactics predators use and suggested safety tips to avoid them.

The event concluded with guest speakers Christabelle Robinson, a collaborator and lived-experience consultant working with Connect for Freedom, and Detective Sergeant Rager and Detective Huda from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, who shared real-world experiences in their presentations on best practices for online safety.

“This year’s summit focused on a very difficult topic, human trafficking. Our REBOOT leadership team felt it was a necessary focus given its increase in prevalence during major sporting events like the World Cup,” said Dr. Rezach, Director of the Ethics Institute. “The presentation by Christabelle, a survivor of human trafficking, was especially powerful. I’m certain that every participant walked away with an increased awareness about the dangers of online communication. And I greatly appreciate the Ethics Institute’s collaboration with Connect for Freedom, an outstanding organization that is working with schools throughout New Jersey to empower students with information and awareness.”