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  • Diversity, Equity
  • & Inclusion

Georgetown Day School’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is charged with ensuring that diversity, social justice, and inclusivity as a foundational philosophies, are integrated throughout the community and the curriculum.

Georgetown Day School’s Office of Diversity was established in 1999 by a board-appointed Diversity Task Force to provide school-wide leadership on diversity initiatives.  Since that time, GDS has emerged and been recognized as a national leader in diversity education.   The vital work and service provided by our office is supported by a mission rooted deeply in our founders vision, which in 1945, named diversity as a core value of the School. Over time and with the support of the GDS Board of Trustees and Head of School, the office has intentionally evolved to incorporate equity and inclusion initiatives that, per our mission, “honors the integrity and worth of each individual within a diverse school community” and seeks to “foster strength of character and concern for others.”  The GDS Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)  sets the tone for shaping an academic environment that intentionally and passionately explores core curriculum within a social justice framework.  

GDS's Statement of Inclusion

Georgetown Day School is devoted to continuously building an inclusive community open to a multitude of perspectives.

  • As an inclusive community, we uphold that everyone will engage in the work of social justice within all aspects of school life. We work to ensure that our mission is a living guide that we consistently and honestly act upon and assess. As such, to ensure that we actively live our mission grounded in social justice, equity and inclusion, we, the GDS community, make the following commitments:
  • We commit to being a school where students, faculty, staff, families, and alumni feel respected and valued for being their full authentic selves.
  • We commit to taking responsible action to build a foundation of cultural competency, aimed at lifting the strengths, needs, and experiences of all in our community and beyond.
  • We commit to proactively design and deliver an inclusive and equitable, student-centered curriculum which honors the diverse identities of all students in our community.
  • We commit to implementing this curriculum in ways that promote understanding others and ourselves in the world around us.
  • We commit to learning and growing in the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion and sharing our work forward beyond our school’s walls.
  • We commit to learning intentionally from our mistakes and working to make positive changes in our community and in our world.
  • We commit to asking for support when engaged in the difficult and complex conversations and challenges before us. We will seek differing perspectives, remaining open-minded to others’ views, and listening and withholding judgment when possible.
  • We commit to intentionally following up on these conversations using compassion, a willingness to work together for positive change, understanding, connection, and growth.
  • Furthermore, we commit to fostering collegial relationships through interactions that are meaningful, honest, direct and joyful.
     

Recognition

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GDS is a proud recipient of the National Association of Independent Schools Leading Edge Award for Equity and Justice. This award recognizes schools that have done exemplary work in creating and sustaining a diverse, inclusive, and supportive school environment.

Our Stories

Philanthropy and Impact

Revisiting Philanthropy in a Time of Social, Economic, and Political Unrest, A GDS 75th Speaker Series Event

Important Dates

The Latest on Instagram

Meet the Team

Marlo Thomas

Assistant Head for Equity and Inclusion

Guyton Mathews

Associate Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Shakeara Pardner

Program Coordinator for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion