Diversity at Key
Since its inception, Key School has encouraged independent thinking and openness to differing ideas and perspectives. We believe that we learn and grow both as individuals and as a school community when students and adults of diverse backgrounds, abilities, and identities develop an understanding of and respect for our commonalities and differences. This is vital to fulfilling Key’s promise to prepare our students for the challenges and responsibilities they will assume within an increasingly connected yet diverse and pluralistic world community.
Therefore, we seek a student body, faculty, staff, administration, and governing board that reflect diversity across a broad spectrum, including race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, family composition, socioeconomic background, political viewpoint, and religion. While we are committed to acknowledging the varied beliefs and values of every individual who is part of our community, our first priority is to the Mission of our School, especially in sustaining an ethical school culture that respects the dignity of every human being.
A delegation of five students and two faculty represented Key at the 2017 People of Color Conference and Student Diversity Leadership Conference from November 30-December 2 in Anaheim, CA.
Key 6th grader, Aliya Peremel's poetry submission, "Change," has been selected for publication in the 2017 World Artists' Experiences Anthology, Building a More Peaceful World Through Kindness and Compassion.
Last week the Key Community engaged in an important step in our efforts to continue to strive to be a community that fully embraces diversity and inclusivity. During our faculty and staff meeting time throughout the course of the school year we have engaged in sessions led by local and national diversity and inclusivity trainers and Key faculty, who through their own professional growth and development efforts have gained valuable insights, to help us better understand all the domains of diversity—race, religion, political values, sexual orientation, gender, and socio-economic status.
Students involved with the Upper School Not Straight Affinity Activity traveled to the Green Acres School in Bethesda, MD to present on gender stereotypes for students in grades 5-8 as part of Green Acres' annual "Day of Action."
A delegation of thirteen seventh grade students represented Key at the 2017 Metro DC-MD-VA Middle School Diversity Conference, hosted by Sandy Spring Friends School.
To celebrate Black History Month, the Key School Middle Schoolers participated in the third annual African- American Read-In, a community event organized by the National Council of the Teachers of English to honor African American authors, artists, scientists, and mathematicians.
A contingent of seven Upper School student leaders and two faculty members represented Key this month at the Diversity in the DMV conference, hosted and coordinated by The Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning at St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Potomac, MD. This regional conference is designed for high school students and faculty to engage in activities that develop their leadership and advocacy skills for diversity and inclusion programming in their schools.
The theme for this year's Upper School Diversity Day was "A Seat at the Table," with conversations centering around the topics of inclusion and allyship. According to Jayda Graham '17 and Amari Kelly '17, leaders of Students for Social Change (SSC), the overarching goal of the morning's event was to create an inclusive community conversation where students were encouraged to speak up and "take their place at the Key School table" by providing students a safe space to share their thoughts and experiences.