Arshay Cooper (Manley Crew Captain – Film Protagonist, A MOST BEAUTIFUL THING): Arshay Cooper grew up on the West Side of Chicago. In 1997, he joined (and later became captain of) the first African American high school rowing team. After dedicating two years of his life to AmeriCorps and then attending Le Cordon Bleu, Cooper returned to his true passion: working with young people. He coached rowing at the Chicago Urban Youth Rowing Club and worked as the youth program guidance counselor for the Victory Outreach's Midwest/Gulf Coast region. Cooper has also started several rowing programs across the country for youth from under-resourced neighborhoods so that these young people can also experience the profound change that can happen on the water. Cooper’s memoir A Most Beautiful Thing was republished on June 30, 2020 by Flatiron Books.  

The Equity, Diversity, and Justice Committee of the Region 19 Board of Education Statement of Guiding Principles The Equity, Diversity, and Justice Committee of the Region 19 Board of Education was formed in September, 2020 to examine our actions, deliberations, decisions and policies with a clear and conscious regard to promoting, achieving and sustaining a school community which embodies and reflects its ongoing commitment to equity, diversity and justice.