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[ Back to index of November articles ] Visit Grace Episcopal Day School on the Web Grace in diversity
Say the phrase "private school," and most people see images of privilege: Money - lots of it. Status. Power. And, perhaps, race - primarily majority, primarily white. Part of this is a matter of perception: in the 2002-2003 school year, the National Association of Independent Schools counted 20 percent of its students as children of color. Still, many feel this is not nearly enough. Is it possible to further diversify "private" schools, which, by definition, are exclusive? In the Washington area, one might look for an answer to Grace Episcopal Day School in Kensington and Silver Spring, where head of school Carol Franek and her staff, students and parents are striving to create a more truly multicultural environment. On a sunny day, the playground outside Franek's Kensington office is lively with children hanging on monkey bars and chasing one another across the grass. Their faces reflect a range of races, and Franek confirms that at least 33 percent of the children at Grace, from nursery through grade six, are non-Caucasian or foreign nationals. Of those, 25 percent are African American. The 290-student school has a reputation as a center for diversity; its view book, a glossy publication used to promote the school, prominently features racial diversity in its photographs, and mentions the school's commitment to serving a broad population no less than 11 times.
But as Grace is discovering, true diversity is more than numbers, and addresses more than racial differences. What about other characteristics - ability, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status? Once they arrive at Grace, how comfortable are people in wheelchairs? People from low-income neighborhoods, who map out a bus route to get to a PTA meeting? Families with two moms? Exploring these questions and others, Grace has launched a new diversity initiative, funded in part by the Diocese of Washington's Ruth Gregory Soper Memorial Fund. Donna Harshman, head of the lower school (nursery and kindergarten), speculates that Grace's commitment to diversity began with the school's inception in 1960. Families, drawn from Silver Spring's diverse, urban population came to a brick and cinder block building owned by Grace Episcopal Church - a far cry from the ivy-covered towers of stereotypical private school imagery. The nursery and kindergarten have remained in Silver Spring, while grades one through six moved to a modestly renovated public school in Kensington in 1983. Add to this unassuming physical plant a $12,000 tuition that is $4,000 to $10,000 cheaper than other private schools in the area, and Grace becomes one of the most accessible options for families not traditionally considered part of the private school milieu. Other institutional markers reveal the depth of commitment to diversity at Grace. The community already had multicultural training in 1993. A faculty committee manages the celebration of black history not just during Black History Month, but all year long, and the library includes so many multicultural selections it has become a model for other schools. For three years, the Sherryl Talton Gerald lecture series, named in memory of an activist parent, has offered diversity-related presentations, including last year's lecture by Dr. Freeman Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, on creating a climate of success for all students. "Grace had already been doing some pretty novel work in this area," says Stacey Heckel, the development officer who wrote the Soper grant application. But, as Franek points out, "It had been 10 years since we'd looked at our communication and our dialogue around diversity." Faculty, staff and parents were complacent, Franek says - happy that everyone got along, and that the children were "color blind." But color blindness is no longer enough, she says. Parents and staff at Grace now strive, "to understand each other, not just through what we have in common, but through our differences as well." And the differences go beyond race, the common point of reference in any diversity discussion. At least eight points of difference are embraced by the Grace community: ability, age, ethnicity, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation and socio-economic class. One of the most significant aspects of the diversity initiative, and one made possible by the $8,000 Soper grant, was the involvement of consultant Randolph Carter, of Eastern Educational Resource Collaborative. Carter, who for 13 years was director of diversity and multicultural studies at NAIS, introduced the "big eight" points of difference, among other things, at parent/staff discussions and teacher training. He is now recruiting faculty for Grace at historically black colleges and Latino job fairs, and will continue to work with the school this year. Others have been active as well: administrators formed a new diversity committee with parents and staff, and launched a survey; parents held a gathering for parents of children of color. Others - parents of children with Attention Deficit Disorder, and parents of adopted children - have been encouraged to meet as well. Franek is scheduling an interfaith chapel, where children will share prayers from various religious traditions, and the entire school will celebrate a festive International Day with international food, clothing and art traditions. The recent focus on diversity has spurred change. The lower school scrapped its Mother's Day Tea and Donuts for Dads for a single Parent's Day celebration, an important shift for children in one-parent homes, or in homes with single gender parents. Grace now offers babysitting services during Parent Teacher Organization and other evening meetings. "We're not assuming that everyone has a nanny, that everyone can afford another babysitter," explains Franek. The sitters have been so popular, attendance at meetings has swelled. Even in development, changes are afoot: Heckel is reconsidering recognition ceremonies, and may award not only big dollar donors but people who have given every year since they came to Grace. The school's social outreach programs will change, as well. Franek hopes to get the children out from behind the counter where they make sandwiches for homeless people, a long-time tradition at Grace, so they can meet the people they are serving. She hopes students will not only continue to send first aid and school supplies to a sister school in Haiti, but also will meet some of the children who live there. At home, Franek continues to lead the community in becoming not just an integrated school, but a diversified school. "Through our differences, we really learn how much we are alike," she says. "But we can't stop seeing those differences and appreciating them." [ Back to index of November articles ]
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