Mission Review for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

For 20+ years the FAIS mission of cultivating intellect and character through rigorous multilingual academic programs in an environment that promotes appreciation of diverse culture and experiences has served us well.

Much has changed, specifically in this last year, and we've formed a task force of parents, teachers, administrative staff, and board members to update the mission to better address the needs of today’s modern, culturally diverse, and dynamic community. We're leveraging this team to also look beyond the mission and revisit the School's guiding principles and core values:

GUIDING PRINCIPLES: Develop global citizens, foster multi-language ability; shape active learners; deliver academic excellence

CORE VALUES: International mindedness; open-mindedness; integrity; collaborative community; creative inquiry

All of this review will be done through the lens of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion). While this is a core tenet of who we are, we must accept the responsibility to truly do the work and seize the opportunity to engrain this commitment into our mission, boldly and with purpose. We can do this by centering this into our work so that it becomes second nature. We are also inspired to see sparks of this work already in action through self-empowered affinity groups at both the staff level and student level.

DICE (Diversity and Inclusion Community of Educators) is open to all staff via recurring virtual meetings to support celebration of diversity, provide a space for community engagement on equity, and inspire restorative practices. TIED (Tolerance. Inclusion. Equity. Diversity), a group of Middle School

students sponsored by our Middle School counselor, led the initiative to include the LGBTQ+ flag among the current flags in the roundabout. The flag is temporarily displayed in the lobby of the administration building until we can gather in-person for a proper celebration to raise the flag as a community.

In the end we want, we need, a clear and distinctive mission that evokes the core of who we are as a community and school. Something easy for everyone to remember, a check to which we can be held accountable, and a rally cry for the future. It's crucial to put the mission to work in every decision we make. When we ask ourselves "What does our mission call on us to do?"... the answer should be an easy one. We’re excited about this important work, and look forward to sharing progress with the community.