Equity, Diversity, Inclusion

At North Shore Country Day, we believe that equity, diversity and inclusion are essential to the fulfillment of our mission, to the achievement of educational excellence and to the creation of a better world.

Lauren Collins
Director of Equity, Inclusion and Community Engagement

Program Mission Statement

At NSCD, we believe that equity, diversity and inclusion are essential to the fulfillment of our mission, to the achievement of educational excellence, and to the creation of a better world. We are committed to building a community that is diverse in terms of race, gender, age, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation and economic background. Diversity, though, is about more than just numbers. Therefore, we also strive to create an inclusive community where all people are treated with respect and dignity, where multiple perspectives and experiences are welcome, and where students from all cultures and backgrounds can succeed. North Shore engages its community members in working to develop cultural competencies that allow us to communicate and interact effectively across cultures. Both inside and outside of the classroom, learning from and coming to understand differences and commonalities enrich us and empower us with skills for living in a diverse, 21st-­century world. Grappling with the complex issues of this world enables us to explore the roles, rights and responsibilities of citizens in a democratic society and to examine a range of ways in which to participate in developing a more just and equitable society. We invite all members of the community to join us in this continuous learning journey.

Faculty & Staff

We believe that having a diverse and culturally competent faculty and staff guiding and developing our students is essential to the fulfillment of our mission, to the achievement of educational excellence, and the creation of a better world. Therefore, we continue to grow the diversity and dimension of our faculty and staff and support their growth through professional development programming. In doing so, we ensure that all of our students engage with a curriculum that provides both windows into different experiences and mirrors for all students.  

EDI Representatives

A group of faculty representatives from lower, middle and upper school meet throughout the year to discuss issues of equity and justice. The council leads the community's work by hosting speakers, facilitating faculty readings and discussions, and coordinating work with students in their divisions. EDI Divisional Coordinators: Louis Mercer, Winder Holman and Christine Ritchey. EDI Council: Carin Peacock, Janet Lord, Ann Goodrich, Graham Rosby, Becky Corrigan and Juan Vidal.

Program Overview By Division

Lower School

Lower School

The lower school Kaleidoscope curriculum is informed by our five community values: kindness, inclusion, compassion, integrity and respect. Working from this foundation, throughout the school year, students engage around themes including family, cultural diversity, human rights, social justice, gender, ability, race and ethnicity. Lessons are designed to spark authentic curiosity in order for students to engage across difference in a meaningful way. Lessons are collaborative, often cross-graded and built to be responsive to both our students’ and community’s needs, as well as school-wide equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Middle School

Middle School

 

The middle school has a three-year curriculum guiding students in developing skills to demonstrate compassion, care and empathy when considering perspectives of diverse groups. Each grade level meets regularly throughout the year to study and discuss various social issues including, but not limited to, privilege, race, religion and gender.

Upper School

Upper School

 

During students’ ninth grade year, all students participate in “Intro to Upper School.” In addition to addressing topics such as academic integrity and stress management, this carefully crafted curriculum enables and empowers all students to understand and develop core principles of identity, equity and living in a diverse community.

To extend students’ conversations and education on equity, diversity and inclusion issues, the House Leaders, in coordination with the council, develop a curriculum tied to the theme of the year, which they implement during House Meetings. These workshops and discussions are often developed with student leaders who have done extensive training themselves in these areas, and students also often take the lead in facilitating the conversations.

Themes

Each year, the council chooses a theme to implement schoolwide.