Diversity at Chadwick
Chadwick School's Strategic Plan states:
"In
order to fulfill our mission’s commitment to “create a learning environment
that is challenging, diverse and supportive,” Chadwick seeks to attract and
support talented students, faculty and staff from a wide variety of
backgrounds. Learning first-hand about, and from, the values, customs and
perspectives of other school community members enriches students’ educational
experience and helps prepare them for college and an increasingly diverse
society. An understanding of how, and why, people are different is essential to
students’ success today, and it will be even more so in the future."
Chadwick
dedicates resources to achieving this goal by dedicating resources to the
student, faculty and parent bodies which will make Chadwick a more supportive
community for all.
Students:
Upper
School Affinity Groups. Chadwick's affinity
groups are created by and for students, and each has a faculty advisor. The
affinity groups are intended to create a forum for support, discussion,
education and fun. Affinity groups are open to all members of the Upper School
student body. Chadwick affinity groups include:
- African American Awareness
Organization
- Chinese Culture Club
- Gay-Straight Alliance
- Hispanic Culture Club
- Jewish Culture Club
Student
Diversity Council. The Student Diversity
Council was formed in 2006 by students upon their return from NAIS Student
Diversity Leadership Conference in Seattle. They work in all segments of the
Chadwick community to spread awareness about diversity to all segments of the
Chadwick community. Past activities f the Diversity Council include:
- "Lawn Chats:"
Discussions on the main lawn that are open to all segments of the
community
- Middle School Diversity
Module
- Month-long Identity Module
in the Sixth Grade
- Leading an activity and discussion
for parents at IONS
- Leading an activity for the
Chadwick Parent Association
Attendance
at NAIS' annual Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC). Chadwick sends six students to this
three-day conference, which provides the opportunity to learn about diversity,
engage in leadership activities, and meet with both peers and adults from
around the country who are interested in and involved with diversity efforts.
Diversity
Week. This is an annual week-long series of
events designed to raise awareness of and open dialogue about diversity. Diversity
Week always features the Day of Silence, cultural games such as
Cricket and Go, and a keynote speaker, in addition to many other activities.
Keynote
speakers for Diversity Week have included:
2009:
Michael Eselun from Gays and Lesbians initiating Dialogue for Equality
http://www.socal-glide.org/home.html
2008:
Kip Fulbeck, author of Part Asian, 100% Hapa http://www.seaweedproductions.com/about/default.htm
2007:
Professor Thema Bryant Davis
http://www.drthema.com/
Families:
Adult
Diversity Council. Chadwick's
Adult Diversity Council works closely with the Director of Multiculturalism and
Inclusion on advancing the school's Diversity mission. See a link to the group's
Charter here:
In
Our Neighbors' Shoes. (IONS) IONS is a
discussion forum created for the Adult Diversity Council for parents, faculty
and students to come together and discuss topics that have an impact on us all.
These discussions are driven by personal experience and the desire to come
together as a community and learn more about each other.
Past
topics of meetings include:
- Social Class
- Privilege
- Religion
- Sexual Orientation
Home
Visits: Chadwick places great value upon
the involvement and inclusion of all people in the community. In 2008, the
school began a program of home visits to families for whom English is not a first language. These visits are
a way for families to get to meet with community members and have their
questions answered in a comfortable environment.
Celebrating
Families of Color Dinner: This annual event
is an opportunity for the Chadwick community to come together early in the year
and discuss their experiences at the school.
Faculty:
Director
of Multiculturalism and Inclusion:
In
alignment with Chadwick's commitment to diversity, the school has created the
position of Director of Multiculturalism and Inclusion. The DMI works with all
parts of the school community to further the school's diversity goals as
identified in the Strategic Plan and in the result's from the 2008-'09 AIM
process.
2008-2009
Diversity Training workshop series with
Professor Thema Bryant-Davis. Topics discussed
in this yearlong series are:
- Social class
- Gender
- Race
- Ability
- Sexual orientation
Annual
Attendance at the NAIS People of Color Conference:
Chadwick
annually sends members of the Chadwick faculty to the NAIS People of Color
Conference. This conference
provides the opportunity to attend workshops on diversity-related topics,
network, and engage in intensive affinity-group work.
Chadwick
faculty have both attended and presented at the NAIS People of Color Conference
and Summer Diversity Institute in recent years. Topics and presenters include:
2008
PoCC New Orleans: Multi-racial Affinity group co-facilitator: Alain Sykes
2007
PoCC Boston: "How Does Identity Inform Teaching?" workshop
presentation Alain Sykes
2006:
PoCC Seattle: "White Privilege" workshop presentation Jeff Mercer
2004:
Summer Diversity Institute, Colorado Springs: "Cultural Identifiers"
workshop presentation Jeff Mercer
Faculty
Attendance at local Diversity Workshops:
2008:
The Alliance's Across Colors Conference
2009:
SoCAL POCIS' Professional Development Day with Angela Davis
Assessment of Multiculturalism and Inclusion (AIM)
As a reflection
of its commitment to creating an inclusive environment , in the 2008-'09
academic year, the entire Chadwick community engaged in the AIM assessment. The
outcomes of the assessment will influence the direction of Chadwick's inclusion
and diversity efforts in coming years.
Chadwick's
Commitment to diversity includes membership in:
Southern California People of Color in
Independent Schools
The
Alliance
A
Better Chance
