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Defining and Cultivating Diversity Equity, and Inclusion
It was an important year for diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus, both in the wake of the summer’s Black Lives Matter protests and emergence of black@GS, and because of the unusual segmentation of the student body necessitated by COVID. Instead of all learning and living together on campus, our diverse students—divided into boarding, day, and remote cohorts—remained apart. Maintaining a sense of inclusiveness was challenging.
Rachel Williams returned to George School in fall 2020 as its new DEI director. In her first year in the role, Rachel organized a wide range of events that brought the community together to learn more about diversity, equity, and inclusion. (See calendar on next page.)
In December, Rachel and the Faculty/Staff Inclusion Committee solicited feedback through the George School Inclusion Survey: Celebrating Our Diverse Traditions. Its purpose was to probe how community members celebrate cultural traditions and holidays as well as to “take the temperature with regards to community health in relation to inclusion efforts amidst COVID realities.”
The questionnaire asked for qualitative responses, and the open-ended nature elicited a variety of answers. Of the 278 respondents, 84.5% were students (fairly evenly distributed between freshmen, sophomores, and juniors with somewhat fewer seniors) and 15.5% faculty/ staff.
When asked how they self-identify—culturally, ethnically, and/or racially—participants gave 100 unique responses. When asked to self-identify religiously and/ or spiritually, they gave 60 different answers, and when asked what holidays and traditions were important to them, they listed 40. The George School community is well known to be diverse, but perhaps not that diverse.
Holidays and Traditions
When it came to how George School could better support, celebrate, and honor students’ copious traditions, answers were similarly varied. Though many students felt that the school already does a great job and did not know what more could be done, these respondents were not themselves religiously diverse. By contrast, those who suggested a day off to celebrate holidays (including a dozen who suggested a break for the Lunar New Year) represented a broader religious range.
As a result of the survey, George School is making some changes. Upon request, students can be excused from class for the Lunar New Year, and dorm celebrations were held. All holidays mentioned will appear in the community calendar, and the library is providing educational resources about those events celebrated by community members. Accepted students will also be asked to share what cultural traditions are important to them.
Inclusive Community
Most student respondents felt that George School has done a great job of creating an inclusive community this year. They specifically cited DEI emails and outreach, Meeting for Worship (especially remote learners), weekend activities (especially boarders and students of color), assemblies, inclusive online classes, a time-zone-friendly schedule, clubs and organizations, collections and gatherings, a variety of holiday celebrations, attention to pronoun usage, responsiveness to BLM and black@gs, dorm bonding, and teachers.
That is not to say that there were not plenty of suggestions for improvement, including greater diversity in the curriculum and more all-school online gatherings (the two most cited). To make the latter possible, the school now has a Zoom account that can connect 1,000 people at a time.
Still, overwhelmingly, survey respondents articulated an appreciation for how George School has kept the community as united as possible during the pandemic.
Throughout the academic year the George School community participated in events that celebrated and educated members about diversity, equity, and inclusion both on campus and beyond.
August 19, 2020 DEI Training with consultant Jen Cort
Faculty and staff training session.
August 21, 2020 Inclusion Goals and Implicit Bias Training
Faculty and staff training session.
September 17, 2020 Implicit Bias Training
Rosetta Lee presentation for the Board of Trustees.
October 5, 2020 Aligning with Justice
Town hall for alumni, parents, students, faculty, and staff.
October 17, 2020 Parenting with Identity in Mind
Rosetta Lee led a workshop for parents.
October 14 – November 4 , 2020 Inclusion Zoom Series
Community members were invited to a series about the history of US voting, an open mic night, a letter writing night, and an election night debrief.
October 31, 2020 Mid-Atlantic Region Diversity Conference
For students.
November 11, 2020 Getting Reconnected with George School
Presentation to the Newtown Rotary Club.
November 19, 2020 George School Transgender Day of Remembrance Vigil
Virtual vigil on Zoom.
December 1-4, 2020 NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference
For students.
NAIS People of Color Conference
For faculty and staff.
December 17, 2020 Virtual Diversity Watch Party and Roundtable
Eddie S. Glaude Jr. with the NFS Diversity and Inclusion Director Sydney Lewis.
January 17, 2021 Courageous Conversations Across Differences
All community conversation with Rosetta Lee.
January 23, 2021 SCHout Diversity Conference
Students attended the conference virtually.
February 21, 2021 Town Hall Listening Session
All community.
March 4, 2021 George School All Community Magic Show
Performance by TEDx presenter Randy Shine.
March 22, 2021 Standing in Solidarity with the Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander Communities
Director of DEI Rachel Williams held a community space for listening, reflection, and sharing.
April 19, 2021 All School Art Mural
Work began on the George School Tree of Intersectionality.
April 23, 2021 Popcorn, Poetry, & Perspectives
The Inclusion Oversight Committee and representatives from different community groups met to share perspectives.
May 7, 2021: Samantha King: Supporting Transgender & Gender Expansive Students
This workshop covered language and development to better understand transgender, gender expansive, and non-binary students.
May 14, 2021 Samantha King: Follow-up Conversation
This workshop answered questions and discussed strategies for creating gender inclusive educational environments for all students.
