Affinity and alliance spaces support BB&N’s values of ensuring a vibrant, healthy, safe community and a diverse inclusive community that fosters respect for the identities and perspectives of all.
Affinity groups provide students a chance to explore who they are, discuss social justice issues, and connect with peers who share aspects of their identity. Affinity groups happen B-12 under the guidance of an adult who identifies similarly as members of the group, with developmentally appropriate programming adapted to grade levels.
The Lower School emphasizes the necessity of ‘windows and mirrors’ (Rudine Sims) in the curriculum to allow students to both see others’ experiences and their own experiences reflected. The Lower School offers opportunities for identity exploration and discovery through classroom projects and through affinity groups. Learn more about Lower School groups.
The Middle School supports students in digging into the weighty questions that come up during this time of intense physical, emotional, and intellectual change. The Middle School curriculum taps students’ growing capacity for critical thinking, their penchant for risk-taking, and their expanding awareness of self, while continuing to explore windows and mirrors. Learn more about Middle School groups.
The Upper School prepares students for lives of principled engagement by leveraging the identity and critical thinking work from the Lower and Middle Schools and promoting student advocacy and leadership. All affinity and activism groups in the Upper School are student-led, with faculty acting as advisors. Learn more about Upper School groups.