Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

CDS Commitment to a culture of belonging

Diversity, equity, and inclusion at Carolina Day are a direct extension of not only our mission and core beliefs*, but also our honor code and pledge**. By fostering a richness of ideas, a broadening of viewpoints, and a reverence for others, diversity improves the quality of our culture. All of our students benefit from learning in a diverse group of individuals with a range of experiences and abilities, which prepares them to participate in our increasingly diverse society. In order to make the most of educational opportunities offered by all members of the community, it is critical to create and maintain a safe, accepting, and equitable learning environment with a focus on respect and compassion for others.

Carolina Day aspires to be a welcoming, equitable, and inclusive organization for our students, families, faculty, staff, and the greater community.

To this end:

Carolina Day School does not tolerate acts of discrimination, prejudice, and harassment. Such acts harm individuals through “othering” and destroy the interconnected fabric of a community of belonging.
Carolina Day School community members acknowledge that sometimes our individual actions and school practices may create unintentional harm in our community.
Carolina Day School community members commit to personal and institutional resolution of harms through an educational process based on thoughtful listening, acknowledging one’s role and the (perhaps unintended) impact of actions, and repairing such harms.
Carolina Day School community members are expected to follow established guidelines in response to discrimination, prejudice, and harassment.
At Carolina Day School, we recognize the needs and rights of students to individual expression, consideration of alternative and new ideas, and civil discourse. However, these must always be balanced against the essential task of creating a community of belonging for all faculty, staff and students and families—particularly for those who face ongoing bias in our society.
We commit ourselves to creating a community of belonging for all.

Source: We were inspired by the Albion College Blueprint for Belonging in formulating the above.

You Belong Advisory Board

Inspired by attendance at the annual Student Diversity Leadership Conference, many of our students are meeting regularly as part of the You Belong Advisory Board, a group that has recently hosted student forums and made presentations to the Board of Trustees and to the CDS community as the focus of the most recent PA Presents. For more information about the You Belong Student Advisory Board and the activities taking place, you can follow the Instagram account @youbelong_cds.

Our Beliefs
Our Practice

Our Beliefs

We believe:

Academic excellence and learning are undergirded by a sense of community and belonging as well as a diversity of experiences and perspectives.
By embracing diversity, we expand our understanding of others and become a safer, more positive, and caring environment that expands each individual’s sense of belonging and importance to our community.
Our school community can be a model of inclusiveness.

Our Practice

While our work is ongoing, we have taken a number of concrete steps to infuse diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout our school, including the following:

We have utilized the NAIS Assessment of Inclusivity and Multiculturalism (AIM) survey to evaluate our competencies and areas for growth.
Our curriculum goal is to provide windows (new viewpoints) and mirrors (reflections of known experiences) for all students.
We aim to foster an environment in which we acknowledge and understand both similarities and differences.
We seek to help students develop the skills to think critically and engage respectfully in civil discourse.
We work to ensure that people of all abilities can access and engage with school resources and information.
Faculty and staff participate in conferences and a variety of professional development opportunities around equity and inclusion.
We continue to strengthen our processes to enroll a diverse student body and to recruit and retain board members, teachers, staff, and administrative leadership from diverse backgrounds.
CDS creates engagement opportunities for families of students of color.
An active Equity and Inclusion Committee (E&I) works to increase awareness of diversity in curriculum, systems, and our institution as a whole. The committee also hosts educational events and community forums on campus.
CDS is an active participant in The National SEED Project, a peer-led professional development program that drives personal, organizational, and societal change toward greater equity and diversity.
CDS is a member of the Western North Carolina Diversity Engagement Coalition (WNC-DEC), a network of some of western North Carolina’s largest employers. Through WNC-DEC, participating organizations build and support a more diverse workforce in WNC.