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 Multicultural Development, Rebecca Yacono /512-299-9656. Click here for statistics about the students of St. Andrew's.
Director of Diversity and Multicultural Development
The Director of Diversity and Multicultural 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 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. To join or for more information, please contact club president Claire Aviles .
On March 12, 2009, the Diversity Club sponsored its second annual Diversity Day at the Upper School. The event took the previous year's theme of cultural diversity and expanded it to a conference format that included workshops on everything from ethnic, religious, and political diversity to how individual personality and opinion create diversity within a community.
Click here to read more about Diversity Day 2009.
Click here to read about Diversity Day 2008.
The next Diversity Day celebration will be on Thursday, March 11, 2010, on the Upper School campus. It promises to be another thought-provoking and entertaining event.
Middle School Prejudice Awareness Summit
Each year, eighth graders and Middle School faculty members attend this day-long program sponsored by Jewish Women International and the Anti-Defamation League’s No Place for Hate initiative. Students are chosen by their teachers to attend the conference and participate in workshops and activities that focus on prejudice and ways to bring the conversation of erasing it back to the schools.
In 2009, St. Andrew's eighth graders who participated in the PAS continued to meet throughout the year and led Middle School advisors and advisories through exercises to increase awareness of, sensitivity to, and appreciation of differences. For more information about the Prejudice Awareness Summit, please contact Kama Bruce.
Parents' Council Diversity Committee and Community Events
A new committee in the 2008-2009 school year, the Parents’ Council Diversity Committee had an ambitious and successful inaugural year, which included discussions that led to the composition of a mission statement and two school-wide events. The mission statement reads:
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.
Community Events
As part of its mission of facilitating inclusivity and networking, the Parents’ Council Diversity Committee has already sponsored two events in the 2009-2010 school year – the Back-to-School Meet and Greet on August 18, 2009 (Click here for the full article and photos) and the Diversity Social Hour on October 15 (Click here for the full article and photos).
The next event sponsored by this committee will be the Spring Heritage Picnic, on Sunday, April 11, 2010, from 1:00-3:00pm on the field at the 31st Street Campus. We hope that every St. Andrew’s family will come and bring a traditional family food item to share. (Click here for the full article and photos from last year's Heritage Picnic.)
To find out more about the Parents’ Council Diversity Committee, please contact committee chair Jennifer Ramos (jennymeg@textilefetish.com /(512) 431-1947)
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.
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 commitment to Social and Emotional Learning.
NAIS People of Color (POCC) and Student Diversity Leadership (SDLC) Conferences
Each year, St. Andrew's sends faculty and students to this conference that addresses 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 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.
For questions, contact Rebecca Yacono, Director of Diversity at 299-9656/ ryacono@sasaustin.org
2009-2010 St. Andrew’s Diversity Statistics
- 23% 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 from at least 51 different ZIP codes in the Austin Metro Area.
- 7% of our student body identifies with a religious tradition other than Christian.
- Our 54 first graders came to St. Andrew's from 23 different pre-school programs.
- Our 74 ninth graders came to St. Andrew's from 13 different middle school programs, including our own.
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