About Friends

DEI Events and Programs

 
 
Below are some highlights of our DEI-Related Programming and Events throughout the school year. Note that this list is not exhaustive.
 
Lower School
  • Inventions unit in 2nd grade highlighting underrepresented inventors
  • Immigration unit and corresponding field trip to NYC in 5th grade
  • Highlighting People of Color and diversity of religious thought and celebrations during Lower School Good News throughout the school year.
  • Service activities including Food on Fridays food drive and annual Mitten Tree
  • Concerts featuring diverse composers, themes and with a focus on student input
 Middle School
  • DEI Skits in collections several times a year with performances by staff/students regarding various DEI topics
  • Potluck Dinner with middle school Boys of Color and Sisters of Color Groups joint with US Black Student Union
  • 7th grade trip to Holocaust Museum in DC
  • Black History Month collection and activities
  • Advisory units including, but not limited to: ableism, religious diversity, privilege, LGBTQ+, cultural competency and perspectives
  • Meeting for Worship queries and collections throughout the year to recognize MLK Day, Black History Month, AAPI Heritage Month, and other DEI related topics
  • Service Days/Trips for each grade
  • Concerts featuring diverse composers, themes and with a focus on student input
Upper School
Faculty and Staff
 
  • SEED: Since 2007, WFS has participated in the National SEED (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) Project. Facilitated by Karen Horikawa, each year faculty and staff at WFS have monthly conversations about race and identity aimed at driving change first in the individual, then in their classroom, workplace, and community. Participation in SEED is an expectation for all faculty and staff in their second year of service at WFS.
  • READ (Read and Educate ourselves on Anti-racism and Diversity) Journal Groups: Developed by Erica Childs at the start of the 2020-21 school year, READ journal groups bring faculty and staff members together in small groups on a regular basis to discuss a pre-selected reading that centers on a topic or issues related to diversity, equity, inclusion, or justice. During the meeting, the group engages with one another by answering queries, and sharing thoughts, reflections, and suggestions that came about through the reading. The program has been a success at WFS, and Head of School Ken Aldridge and Erica Childs presented the model to other schools at the 2021 National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) People of Color Conference.
  • Additional Professional Development for Faculty and Staff: Faculty and staff participate in at least one in-service training each year on issues related to DEI including but not limited to: cultural competency and responsiveness, implicit bias, supporting LGBTQ+ students, neurodiversity, and differentiated instruction to meet the needs of all learners. Further professional development on these topics also takes place during divisions throughout the school year.


  
101 School Road, Wilmington, DE 19803
302.576.2900   |   info@wilmingtonfriends.org
Preschool - 12th Grade
Statement of Nondiscrimination as to Student Enrollment
Wilmington Friends School admits students of any race, color, gender, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students of these schools. Wilmington Friends School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national and ethnic origin in administration of their educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school administered programs.