Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisory Board

"Words and promises are not enough;
real change and real progress have to be our goals.
We are committed to moving GFS to be proactively
anti-racist, acknowledging racism and inequities
where they exist,
and taking action to address them"

-Chris Hughes
HEAD OF SCHOOL
Message to the GFS COMMUNITY

In June 2020, Garrison Forest School created the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisory Board. Made up of GFS faculty and staff members from across divisions and offices, as well as members of the GFS Board of Trustees, the role of the Advisory Board is to provide guidance and recommendations to the school in its ongoing efforts to be proactively anti-racist and inclusive.

Latest Announcements from the DEI Advisory Board

July 16, 2020

Listening sessions are underway for all members of the GFS community. This is an important first step in the work of listening, understanding, evaluating and assessing where GFS is as a school and where we need to be. Dates for the sessions are:

Current faculty and staff: July 7-8
Middle School and Upper School students: July 13-17
GFS Alumnae: July 20-22
Parents: July 23-30

All community members -- current parents, students, alumnae and faculty and staff -- should have already received more information via email.

Goals of the DEI Advisory Board

The goals and focus of the Advisory Board will continue to evolve as their work gets underway. At the outset, the group was charged with the following goals:

To create opportunities for GFS community members to share their experiences with us through listening sessions and other formats to be determined by the group.
Through listening sessions and feedback, determine what gaps and issues persist on our campus and within our community and assess our vision for diversity, equity and inclusion.
Recommend both immediate and long-term action steps to address inequities and improve the experience of black students and other minorities on our campus.
Provide input on curricular, policy and/or programmatic changes that need to be implemented.
Report out to our community with updates and progress on a regular basis, providing transparency throughout this process

Focus Areas

July 17, 2020

We expect to build out this list and provide specific updates as we receive more information from the listening sessions and continue meeting as a group to refine our areas of focus.

Currently, the Advisory Board is working in smaller groups to develop initiatives in such areas as hiring practices, crafting a broader vision statement around DEI work campus-wide, curriculum review and community engagement. Examples of the kinds of action steps and ideas we are currently working through include:

Reserve time for our department heads and academic leaders to begin delving into this work before school starts and to develop measurable, actionable steps (to potentially include curriculum review or modifications) that can take place in each academic department in each division
Develop faculty and staff training, to be started prior to the opening of school
Launch a review of our student and faculty handbooks, with the goal of identifying areas of improvement or clarification around antiracist behavior and actions
Reviewing hiring practices
Developing clear policies toward appropriate use of language in the classroom and identifying specific and consistent consequences around racist or demeaning remarks

Communications

Our goal in hosting listening sessions is to hear input and experiences from all of our community members in a safe space. If you would prefer to submit your experience via this anonymous form, please click below:

CLICK HERE FOR SUBMISSION FORM

Advisory Board Members

Chris Hughes (co-chair), Head of School
Carolyn Lewis (co-chair), Director of Community Life and Inclusion
Crystal Lee Alston '96, GFS Board of Trustee Member
Lauren Misera Anderson '02, Middle School Dean of Students
Jim Beam, Upper School Mathematics Teacher and Faculty Liaison to the Board of Trustees
Randy Beckford, Upper School Dean of Students
Shondra Cowling, Lower School Counselor
Meisha Dockett, Human Resources Manager
Jazmin Greene, Assistant Director of Admission
Vanessa Griffin, Executive Assistant to the Head of School
Kate Gugerty, Director of Community Engagement
Gail Hutton, Head of the Lower Division
Lisa Fleck, Director of Counseling
Gretta Gordy Gardner '86, GFS Board of Trustee Member
Reema Khanchandani, Head of the Upper School
Heather Malone-Wolf, Director of Dance
Shelly Placek, Director of Communications and Marketing
Shannon Schmidt, Head of the Middle School
Bryna Stoute, Preschool Teacher
Aminah Wells, Upper School Counselor