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Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice
Resource
We are committed to ensuring that all members of our community—inclusive of gender, ability, religion, identity, and culture—know they belong and that there is honest and authentic diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice at BCS.
With a student body comprised of citizens from over 40 different countries, diversity has a vital place in our community. But we recognize it is not enough to merely welcome different nationalities, and that the work towards true Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) is always ongoing. This is why design for effective DEIJ within our community is one of the school-wide priorities in our 2021-24 Strategic Plan. It will guide and influence all strategies, tactics, and decision-making throughout all departments.
Our school theme for the 2020-21 school year was Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). In February, we welcomed current parent and DEI expert, Thyannda Mack, as our first Scholar-in-Residence. Ms. Mack lived on our campus for several weeks, interacting with our full community and leading workshops for students, faculty, staff, and parents. Out of these workshops, two committees were formed to continue the work that was started: a student committee (the DEIC) and a staff committee.
We also encourage awareness and learning through various student- and school-led initiatives across a variety of subjects, including Pride, Orange Shirt Day, Truth and Reconciliation, and more.
BCS is truly representative of the world. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know different people from different nationalities, cultures and religions than my own.
I’ve become a lot more open-minded and conscious of my place in the world.Anders Lindberg, BCS'18
DEIC
Our student committee, consisting of six student members and a staff advisor, named themselves the DEIC.
Mission Statement: Spreading comfort and diversifying the community by raising awareness.
The DEIC meets regularly to discuss new ideas and ways to enact their mission. Three immediate challenges they identified as wanting to address are:
- Make stakeholders of BCS more aware with ongoing problems affecting us in the student community.
- Problem of prioritizing “white comfort” overexposing and addressing attitudes/ language that marginalizes POC.
- Disconnect between students and teachers when help is needed.
The DEIC is working to address these challenges through chapel presentations and awareness campaigns. New members are always welcome!