EMBRACING DIVERSITY
Diversity & Inclusion
Woodlawn School is committed to developing and nurturing a population with social, economic, and racial diversity that reflects our community. Our student body is anything but homogenous; students come to us from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, from families who are wealthy and from families who aren’t. They come from large schools and small schools, public and private. They come with diverse talents, interests and backgrounds. When they get to Woodlawn, we embrace and celebrate those differences.
INCLUSIVE CAMPUS
RESPECT FOR PEOPLE + IDEAS
Understanding diversity begins with listening to and respecting people and ideas, and actively learning from others with different world views and experiences. Affirming that diversity and inclusion are key components in developing our students as future leaders, Woodlawn encourages diversity of thought across all organizational levels on campus.
Our welcoming environment features:
+ an inclusive campus culture where students, faculty, staff and trustees of all socio-economic, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, physical ability, sexual orientation, and spiritual practice can thrive and be successful;
+ a workplace where faculty, staff and trustees are valued for their life experiences, varied educational backgrounds, and years of service; and
+ a community that fosters a sense of social responsibility, inclusivity, and acceptance
ENGAGED GLOBAL CITIZENS
Ways we encourage diversity
We prepare our students to become engaged local and global citizens capable of contributing to a multicultural, pluralistic society, by providing them with critical insight into a wide range of human experiences.
Our curriculum, therefore, includes service learning opportunities through which students better understand the interconnectedness of the global population, appreciate similarities, value differences, address community concerns, seek social justice and equality, and expand their knowledge and understanding of those who are often forgotten or neglected by society.
the opportunity to come together
Heritage Festival
What better way to highlight and celebrate values like diversity, inclusivity, and culture than with our annual Heritage Festival? Walking in the Barn during the Heritage Festival is really like entering a whole new world on campus – the sights, the sounds, the smells, the students all dressed in traditional garments representing their heritage – it’s remarkable what these parents, teachers and students offer our community in terms of cultural diversity. It’s the ultimate sharing experience – the opportunity to come together to share one’s identity.
Inclusion & camaraderie
Middle School Mix-It-Up!
Mix-It-Ups provide Middle School students the opportunity to mix and mingle over lunch. Once a month, students are placed in mixed gender and grade level groups and are given an activity or “challenge” to complete together. Topics range from getting to know you to strategies in maintaining perspective when the MS days get long and tedious. Mix-It-Ups serve to: foster inclusion among peers; garner friendships with those outside immediate peer circle; and to create a camaraderie within the Middle School family.
WHY I LOVE WOODLAWN
“I am definitely a better person because of the time I spent learning at Woodlawn in such a positive and engaging environment. It’s hard to express in words the impact those four years made on me, but know they were some of the best years of my life. Woodlawn is such a unique and remarkable place — such a positive, community-based environment — and I couldn’t have imagined a better place for me. Go Trailblazers!”
– Sophia S. ’11
GLOBAL STUDIES WITH WOODLAWN
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
Woodlawn’s mission is to prepare students to be contributing members of a diverse global society. While we offer rare and innovative educational opportunities that set us apart, we encourage and support our students to be a part of their global world, not apart from it.