Our Commitment to Diversity
At Lake Champlain Waldorf School, we embrace the opportunity to deepen our understanding of each other and of our experiences. We encourage and support diversity and inclusion in our community, and we welcome people from all races, genders, identities, sexual orientations, socioeconomic statuses, ages, and religions.
CONTENT & CURRICULUM
In September 2019 the faculty and board committed to implementing a K-12 anti-bias curriculum. This commitment emerged out of existing faculty study and conversation about equity in our curriculum and our society. In addition, each individual teacher and every branch of the school has been charged with considering the content of their lessons through an equity lens. This work is shepherded by the DEI Group and supported by training in education for justice through Equity Literacy, Inc.
PROCESS & POLICY
In October 2019 LCWS conducted a diversity audit using the tools and guidance of Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium in order to examine all facets of our organizational policy and processes through the lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The DEI group is charged not only with leading the conversation about diversity, equity, and inclusion in our world, our community, our curriculum, and our school, but also with supporting the concrete steps toward a more equitable and diverse community.
SCHOLARSHIPS & FINANCES
LCWS offers Diversity and Inclusion Fund Scholarships which were created as part of our commitment to removing financial impediments for students from various cultural, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, with diverse talents, interests, and life experiences. For the purposes of the DIF Scholarship, we consider diversity across one or more of the following seven categories: culture and language; religion; family structure; economic class; gender identity and expression; racial identity; differing abilities. In addition to our scholarship offerings, LCWS makes a financial commitment to DEI work through investing in training and education for our faculty and staff, our students, and our parent community.
In addition to our stated commitment to diversity, we have also adopted the statements of the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA).
Denouncing Racism in Waldorf Education’s History
Rudolf Steiner, the founder of Waldorf education, espoused racist views about racial hierarchy. We acknowledge this history, renounce the racist views that have been associated with anthroposophy and Waldorf education, and declare our intent to be a part of an evolving Waldorf movement that embraces anti-bias in all forms.
Resources for Parenting Against Racial Bias
We have compiled a list of links with specific, age-appropriate language for talking to kids about racial bias, protests around the country, and police brutality. As you visit these links, please consider where your family is in this conversation to help you choose which specific recommendation that best fits your family.
Beyond the Golden Rule
Raising Race Conscious Kids
What White Children Need to Know About Race
How Not to Raise a Racist White Kid
I Still Can’t Breathe: Supporting Kids of Color Amid Racialized Violence
Supporting Kids of Color in the Wake of Racialized Violence
Talking with Children about Racism, Police Violence and Protests
Voices from Our Community
“As a predominantly white community, in a predominantly white state, we have a responsibility to educate our students and families about the discrimination that is taking place across the country, and in our own towns and community.”
— Avery McLean ’18
“We urge you to consider this: even though acts of hate are not as visible in our state as they are elsewhere does not mean that they aren’t happening. Our support for causes such as Black Lives Matter is crucial. When black Americans are killed by law enforcement officers—who are supposed to be public servants—we are not exempt from the responsibility to protest and stand up for what’s right.”
— Makeda Hevrin and Ron Mezile, ’20
“In teaching myself how to unlearn many ways in which racism perpetuates itself through white silence, I am committed to talking with you and your students about these things…They have marched for climate change and heard first hand the atrocities lived by a local migrant worker. It is our duty to teach the kids about the world in all of its complex and sometimes ugly truths and we have the gift of also teaching them that even when all seems lost, it only means we’ve lost what wasn’t working and we can build anew. If there is any kind of legacy I wish to leave with you and your students, it is the willingness to look at and talk about and fight against and learn from the oppression of people so we can build a truly free world for all.”
— Shannon Murphy, class teacher
From Our Classrooms
LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT CEREMONY
As part of their World Migrations class, our seventh through tenth grade students wrote a Land Acknowledgment on behalf of the Lake Champlain Waldorf School. The statement names the Abenaki tribe as the original people of the land and articulates our collective intention to be good stewards of the land the school now uses.
NATURALIZATION CEREMONY
As part of the school’s social justice and civics curriculum, students in grades six through eight have spent the fall studying immigration through novels, poetry, and discussion of current events. Our school hosted a Naturalization Ceremony on Wednesday, November 20, during which 16 people living in Vermont became new Americans. In keeping with its focus on world cultures, social justice, and arts, the school organized a program featuring a Vermont artist known for his social activism and work to preserve African American spirituals. François Clemmons, singer, actor, playwright and Emeritus Artist in Residence at Middlebury College sang the national anthem, “America the Beautiful,” and “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.” Learn more here.
Join Us in Our Work
We invite you to join us in this work. Our community is stronger and richer with your involvement. Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee invites you to reach out if you are interested in participating in our committee or would like to learn more. Contact them by emailing dei@lakechamplainwaldorfschool.org.