Campus Voices
All School
We have moved from discussing diversity at BB&N to understanding that diversity is BB&N. What I am most proud of after spending 24 years here is the integrated approach BB&N has taken in its effort to become a truly diverse, inclusive, and multicultural school and community.
It is important to understand that the words diversity, inclusion, and multicultural have separate definitions, but when brought together they define a school rich with inclusive programs, core values, a multicultural curriculum, and a diverse population that reflects the world we live in. At BB&N, the word diversity reflects the population of people who make up BB&N; inclusion speaks to the goal of including and considering the backgrounds, cultures, circumstances, and perspectives of all our community members in our programmatic decisions, which should lead to inclusion for everyone; multicultural speaks to the make-up of our curriculum and co-curricular program. BB&N also defines a diverse population as one inclusive of gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic class, race, ethnicity, culture, and religion (and not exclusive of other social identities).
Diversity, inclusion, and multiculturalism are woven extensively into the fabric of BB&N from a program and community standpoint. An integrated picture of the experience of diversity in our learning community reveals itself in many overlapping areas and aspects of the School, including:
• our commitment to hiring a diverse faculty, administration, and staff;
• our ongoing efforts to present course offerings that reflect our diverse, multicultural world;
• our admission philosophy and practices;
• diversity-related professional development opportunities for faculty, administrators, and staff;
• our many student-based affinity and focus groups;
• academic and other support services for students;
• parent programs and activities that appeal to our diverse family community;
• outreach and service efforts to communities beyond our own; and
• BB&N’s faculty/staff Diversity Committee structure and work, which has helped provide the institutional infrastructure necessary to develop our diversity programs as well as educate and raise awareness over the years.
There are many ways we integrate diversity into our school, from curricular offerings and foreign travel opportunities to student support groups and parent education. This integrated approach to creating a diverse learning environment would not be possible without the strong leadership and commitment from the Head of School, Rebecca T. Upham, and the Board of Trustees, led by Laura Hodges Taylor ’74; an outstanding and increasingly diverse faculty; many committed, involved, and caring parents; and a bright, talented, and diverse student body. Our program elements reflect years of honest self-analysis, critical review, and a pursuit of sound educational thinking, as opposed to convenience, political correctness, and short-term success.
BB&N is proud of its efforts around diversity, yet we also know that the work never ends. We continue to strive toward the ambitious goal of creating a school and community that provides a safe haven for all of our students to reach their full potential in and outside of the classroom. We support and commit to this ongoing work because we believe that embracing, respecting, understanding, and taking into account the full meaning of diversity makes us a better and richer school, and prepares our students for the world around them.
Please CLICK HERE to access BB&N’s 2007-2008 Diversity Program Guide.
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