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Diverse Perspectives Foster a Sense of Belonging
People who are willing to step out of their comfort zones, take risks, and consider new perspectives are more open to new ideas. This is the mindset that thrives on High Meadows School’s campus. At HMS, faculty, staff, and students explore topics from a wide variety of viewpoints and perspectives, with particular consideration around diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ). Danielle Wright, Director of Equity and Justice, oversees the school’s efforts and facilitates conversations that open our minds to more diverse points of view.
At High Meadows, conversations surrounding belonging, affinity, and identities start in preschool classrooms and continue through eighth grade. One way this takes place is when Ms. Wright visits classrooms and participates in Chats for Change with students. Leading up to January’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration, she spoke with each grade level about Dr. King’s commitment to peaceful change.
“I made a commitment to myself to avoid taking a Eurocentric approach to our curriculum,” Ms. Wright said. “Our students need a chance to see themselves in our programs of study and to understand others.”
Understanding and respecting the perspectives, needs, and diverse backgrounds of others is essential to fostering an inclusive community. This year, following successful affinity groups for faculty and staff, High Meadows launched student affinity groups for students called 2Gather: Embracing our Unique Identities. Students are grouped by grade level, and two HMS facilitators lead each group meeting. 2Gather provides POC students with a space to share thoughts, feelings, and experiences at school. In turn, faculty and staff are able to be more attentive and responsive to students’ social-emotional needs.
In Lisa Baker’s Bird’s Eye View blog, she noted, “The very core of our students’ identities and confidence can be bolstered when they feel they belong. 2Gather also helps us honor our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice and our mission of embracing diverse identities, experiences, and perspectives.”
A sense of belonging is central to the development of all people, and the same can be said for understanding others’ views and building ethical leaders. In addition to on-campus 2Gather meetings, Ms. Wright has organized trips to the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, and the New Echota Historic Site, where the Cherokee removal on the Trail of Tears began, hosted peace vigils on campus, and much more. These experiences during the school day and beyond allow students and families to continue the conversations surrounding DEIJ.
High Meadows also held a community-driven event entitled Let’s Feed Our Humanity that provided a chance for adults to discuss difficult topics, such as racial bias and mass incarceration. “This event was a version of our Crucial Conversations for the community,” Ms. Wright mentioned. “Having difficult conversations with people you don’t know well is important. When you leave you’ve developed a bond with them because you have displayed vulnerability.”
The important DEIJ initiatives at High Meadows School provide students with a sense of belonging, along with the confidence to ask questions and share ideas about their identities and to take action based on their learning. It is just one of the ways we support our students and help them become ethical leaders who find joy and purpose in the world.
The High Meadows community celebrates and perpetuates each individual’s quest for knowledge and skill, sense of wonder, and connection to the natural environment. We empower each to be a compassionate, responsible, and active global citizen.
Age 3 through Grade 8 | Authorized IB PYP World School
1055 Willeo Road, Roswell, Georgia 30075 | (770) 993-2940 | info@highmeadows.org
1055 Willeo Road, Roswell, Georgia 30075 | (770) 993-2940 | info@highmeadows.org
