In its 2009 Strategic Plan, the Board of Trustees of St. Andrew's School stated:
[A]s an Episcopal school, we actively seek students and families from all faiths and backgrounds. We are a diverse community and value each other's beliefs. We are a diverse, inclusive community and value each other's belief...Our commitment to the Episcopal tradition has generated a school culture that honors tradition, excellence, and the individual gifts of each of its students.
Community diversity is often expressed quantitatively, but at St. Andrew's diversity goes beyond the numbers. Our commitment to our mission of the "fulfillment of each student's potential" means cultivating a school environment that honors multiple facets of each student's identity in ways that enhance both individual learning and the community.
In recognition that diversity is more than just numbers, St. Andrew’s highlights several programs and events that support inclusivity, authenticity, and diversity within our community. For more information about any of these programs or events please contact, Director of Diversity and Organizational Development, Dr. Philippa Strelitz /512-299-9656.
Click here for statistics about the students of St. Andrew's.
2010-2011 St. Andrew’s Diversity Statistics
- 27% of all students have self-identified as racially or ethnically diverse as defined by the National Association of Independent Schools(NAIS).
- 16% of all students receive some form of financial aid.
- Our student body is comprised of students who live in at least 51 different ZIP codes in the Austin Metro Area.
- 6% of our student body identifies with a religious tradition other than Christian.
- Our 58 first graders came to St. Andrew's from 20 different pre-school programs.
- Our 97 ninth graders came to St. Andrew's from 26 different middle school programs, including our own.
Director of Diversity and Organizational Development
The Director of Diversity and Organizational Development serves as a resource for students, faculty, and their families in order to support their academic, professional, and social success. The Director of Diversity works with administrators, faculty, and staff to provide training and practical guidance for supporting a diverse community.
All-School Diversity Advisory Team
Established in 1998 as the All-School Diversity Committee, this group is comprised of representatives from other committees and organizations within the school to gather ideas, share stories, and address concerns relating to inclusivity, multiculturalism, and diversity at St. Andrew's. In addition, this Team advises the Director of Diversity on programs and initiatives through that office. The Diversity Advisory Team meets periodically throughout the academic year. Team membership is coordinated by the Director of Diversity.
Upper School Diversity Day
The next Diversity Day celebration will be March 8, 2012, on the Upper School campus. It promises to be another thought-provoking and entertaining event.
Upper School Student Diversity Club
The mission of the St. Andrew’s US Diversity Club is to eliminate prejudice within the St. Andrew’s community among students, faculty, and parents by raising awareness, holding special events, educating the community, and cultivating a safe environment for discussion and communication. This club is open to all Upper School students.
Curriculum
The St. Andrew’s teachers are committed to incorporating diverse perspectives into the curriculum across the disciplines. Through studying world cultures and religions, reading diverse authors and perspectives, learning other languages, and discussing others' ideas and opinions, students broaden their own perspectives and understanding of the diverse world around them.
Social and Emotional Learning
The Social and Emotional Learning initiative also helps students to understand and express how those perspectives, understandings, and differences affect them. Click here for more about St. Andrew's Social and Emotional Learning Curriculum.
NAIS People of Color (POCC) and Student Diversity Leadership (SDLC) Conferences
Next year, St. Andrew's will send faculty and students to these two conferences that address two important needs: the need for people of color to come together for networking and support and the need for schools to find ways to build and sustain inclusive communities.
Both POCC and SDLC serve as energizing, revitalizing gatherings for people who experience independent schools in non-traditional ways. Teachers, students, and administrators of color from across the nation and from foreign countries, along with White allies and participants, gather to celebrate, nurture, and activate representative diversity, multiculturalism, and equity and justice for independent schools.
Faculty and students who attend these conferences will meet during the rest of the year to continue the conversations started at the conferences and to discuss ways of bringing new ideas and programs in diversity to St. Andrew's.
SEED.: Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity
St. Andrew's is excited to be continuing the SEED initiative for the 2011-2012 school year.
SEED is a seminar series designed to give parents and faculty the opportunity to explore what it means to raise and educate children who will honor individual perspectives, respect the dignity of every human being, and engage with a changing world where the lines of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, class, religion, and ability increasingly overlap and run together.
St. Andrew's will host two separate seminars: one for parents and one for faculty. The SEED seminars will meet monthly; they will be discussion-based and facilitated by two trained St. Andrew's community members: a parent and a faculty member. There will be readings and short video clips, engaging conversation, as well as food and fellowship.
Below, you will find the topics, dates, and times for the Parent and Faculty seminar sessions and the links to download the homework assignments for the sessions. The homework will be posted at least a week before each session. Unless otherwise indicated, the readings and journals are the same for parent and faculty seminars.
Next parent meeting convenes on January 29 at 2:00-5:00 pm.
Next faculty meeting convenes on January 30 at 4:45-7:30 pm.
First SEED Meeting Homework
Read "Kindness" by Naomi Nye.
Read "For Every Girl" adapted from a poem by Nancy Smith.
Write a paragraph or two describing the messages you received as a child about how to be a boy or girl. Describe your family/extended family/culture. How did their expectations/values shape you? What messages did you receive about gender, race, religion, class and family?
Bring your paragraph to the meeting to share.
We ask that our new participants listen to a video on YouTube called "The Danger of a Single Story" by Chimamanda Adichie. If you are a returning member you are invited to view this again to refresh your memory. Here is the link:
The Parents’ Council Diversity Committee Welcomes You
Who we are:
We are St. Andrew’s parents: multiethnic, multiracial, religious, not religious, single, married, partnered, working in the home or outside the home, vegetarians, barbecue-lovers, Texans, New Yorkers, and many other things. We are parents who see an understanding and appreciation of diversity as an important part of our children’s education and our families’ experience in this community.
What we do:
We welcome all SAS families at a Back-to-School Meet & Greet. This is a potluck picnic held on the LS campus at the beginning of the school year.
We are building a community of friends at our monthly house parties. These “Meet-Ups” are held off campus and are open to parents and their children.
We keep parents informed with our monthly newsletter, Diversity Update.
Diversity Update - November 2011
Diversity Update - September - October 2011
We work with the administration and faculty to make St. Andrew’s a genuinely welcoming and inclusive community. Our committee co-chairs are members of the all-school Diversity Advisory Team. A core group of active members works with the Director of Diversity to identify diversity issues at the school and develop strategies for addressing parents’ concerns.
Ways you can get involved:
Put your name on our email list to receive a monthly newsletter and evites to house parties. As a member of the Diversity Committee your only duties are to be informed and have fun. If you do want to get more involved, we would love to work with you! For more information or to add your name to our email list, please contact one of our co-chairs: and Jess Chapin/jchapin@swbell.net or Faye Mohammadi/faye@stockwinners.com.
Our mission statement:
As parents of St. Andrew’s students, we are coming together to foster an inclusive learning environment in which our children appreciate and respect one another's differences and are free to express their individuality. We support all facets of diversity, including but not limited to race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic status, family structure and abilities. Doing so is an essential part of shaping the educational experience of our children. We will facilitate social networking among our community and serve parents who have diversity-related concerns. The Diversity Committee embraces all St. Andrews families as equal and valued members of the community.
Prejudice Awareness and Peer Leadership Organization (PAPLO) was founded to foster leadership opportunities for eighth grade students. The group is a self selected core of students who are dedicated to building a middle school culture that is tolerant, open and accepting of diversity on every level. Students engage is SEL based discussions around issues of concern, othering or inclusion and organize activities that are presented to all of the other students through Chapel, advisory or special event programming. All of the projects, workshops and programs are student initiated and planned with the help of faculty sponsors. Each year PAPLO sends seven representatives to the No Place for Hate Youth Summit at the State Capitol. The event, sponsored by the Central Texas chapter of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), is an all day event that helps middle school students from all over the area learn the leadership methods, practices, values and vocabulary around building cultures of tolerance, mutual understanding and respect at their own schools. As a result of this long running work by PAPLO, the middle school has been designated a No Place for Hate Campus by the ADL.
Already this year PAPLO has initiated the signing of ADL's Resolution of Respect and led a special ceremony to validate the importance of all middle school students signing the Resolution and acknowledging that No Place for Hate status as community. This Chapel ceremony was reflective of the hard work, forethought and preparation of the PAPLO members and will serve as a wonderful foundation for the activities that the student leaders will plan and initiate on the 31st Street Campus.
No Place for Hate
http://regions.adl.org/southwest/programs/no-place-for-hate.html
The No Place for Hate Youth Summit
http://regions.adl.org/southwest/adl-in-austin/
News story about summit:
http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/education/no-place-for-hate-summit-at-capitol