Defining
Diversity
and Inclusion
By Rev. Katie Kilpatrick, Woodward Academy • Atlanta, GA
and Felicia Wilks, Lakeside School • Seattle, WA
I
n many school communities, discussions at the heart of the school’s mission center around
the words “diversity” and “inclusion.” Though these conversations are key to shaping how
individuals live and work together in our communities and what we include in our curricu-
lum, we often neglect to define the words “diversity” and “inclusion” for students, faculty, and
families. For this piece, we focused on the student perspective and began with the question
of whether students in our communities believed there was alignment among students and
adults around what the words “diversity” and “inclusion” mean. Our secondary question was
whether students in two different parts of the country would answer this question differ-
ently, so we decided to pose this question to students in two educational institutions housed
on opposite coasts.
Woodward Academy is a preK-12 co-educational school in Atlanta, Georgia. According to the
mission statement, “Woodward Academy is Atlanta at its very best. We intentionally bring to-
gether students from diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences, creating a richer
learning community and exceptional academic opportunities. Our students and graduates are
caring and compassionate global citizens who are a microcosm of what the world should be.”
Lakeside School is a 5-12 co-educational school in Seattle, Washington. “The mission of
Lakeside School is to develop in intellectually capable young people the creative minds,
healthy bodies, and ethical spirits needed to contribute wisdom, compassion, and leadership
to a global society. We provide a rigorous and dynamic academic program through which
Continues on page 24
CSEE Connections
Summer 2020 Page 23