To Belong is to Flourish
The work of the Office of Community & Equity starts with the School's mission:
Guided by its founding principles of honor, academic distinction, spiritual growth, and community, Episcopal High School prepares young people with the intellectual and moral courage to pursue lives of ethical leadership and service as citizens of an increasingly connected world. |
At Episcopal, community grows stronger through the interplay of individuality and connection. Students deepen their understanding and appreciation of themselves, forge bonds through shared values, and broaden one another's perspectives through their diverse backgrounds and experiences.
Students at Episcopal thrive in a vibrant and diverse learning environment characterized by a sense of belonging. The Office of Community & Equity nurtures this sense of belonging by promoting dignity and respect for every person, a shared commitment to our common values, celebration of our wide range of cultures, and steady growth. We achieve it with programming that encourages curiosity, understanding, affirmation, and collaboration, with individual support for students, and with professional development that enables our adults to model the qualities we seek to support and nurture in our students.
Student Clubs
The OCE supports a range of student-run clubs that provide a way for students to celebrate culture from across the rich mosaic of our student body. They provide a way to share heritage, learn about others, and broaden the cultural experience of the community as a whole. With faculty members facilitating logistics and offering mentorship, the students in these groups put their time and energy into generating ideas related to their club's purpose, planning to bring those ideas to life, and executing their plans. Participation in these clubs, including leadership, is open to all students.
| O.C.E. Student Liaisons (a.k.a. "Club O.C.E.") |
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| OCE Student Liaisons are students who are energized by building and strengthening a community marked by fellowship, friendship, and a sense of unity across the range of identities and cultural expression here at Episcopal. Student Liaisons center their efforts on fostering positive relationships among students, emphasizing the importance of understanding one another as individuals. In addition, Liaisons operate as an important link between the School's administration and the student body. |
| Alliance of Asian Cultures & Experiences (AACE) |
| The Alliance of Asian Cultures & Experiences (AACE) seeks to include the EHS community in the exploration of pan-Asian viewpoints in order to broaden the collective horizon. Its mission is to raise awareness on what it means to be part of the Asian community, to develop an understanding of Asian cultures and traditions from across the diaspora, and to sustain an environment that invites the voices and contributions of concomitant perspectives. |
| Black Student Alliance (BSA) |
| Black Student Alliance (BSA) is dedicated to celebrating and including all in the rich cultures of the African, African-American, and Black Diaspora at EHS. By initiating conversations among students, hosting organized events, and showcasing cultural variation, the BSA strengthens Episcopal's community, making it more inclusive and open for all. Key to the BSA's approach is sharing with the School community through authentic experiences, both on and off campus, exploring the significance of the Black experience at Episcopal, and supporting their experience. |
| Gender & Sexuality Alliance (GSA) |
| The Gender & Sexuality Alliance (GSA) provides a safe forum for discussion and reflection on issues surrounding sexual orientation and gender identity. The group's mission is to work toward a more accepting environment for all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, through education, support, and social engagement. By developing programming to elevate the experiences of students who navigate challenges related to sexual orientation or gender identity, we expand the strength of EHS's community and offer vital support to individual students. |
| Jewish Student Alliance |
| While "Episcopal" is right in our name, EHS is home to students of a range of religious faiths. Our Jewish students, eager to share culture and faith-based perspectives, invite Jews and non-Jews alike to celebrate and explore elements of Jewish life. Typical gatherings include Shabbat dinner and Passover Seder, in what has become an annual tradition for JSA and the entire community. |
| Mi Gente |
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Latin American and Hispanic cultures are prevalent throughout much of the globe, yet unfamiliar to many in the United States, especially in independent schools. Mi Gente — Spanish for "my people" — seeks to bring not just familiarity with but also active appreciation for the rich tapestry of Latin American and Hispanic cultures to Episcopal. Mi Gente interactively raises awareness by facilitating events that highlight, explore, and celebrate our myriad cultures, creating a more collaborative, inclusive, and culturally enriched community with a real sense of belonging. |
STEP
Designed to support newly admitted students as they join the EHS community, STEP (the Supporting Transitions at Episcopal Program) offers a pre-orientation in the fall followed by ongoing programming throughout the school year. STEP provides early connection to essential academic and social resources, proving especially valuable for students new to independent school settings. Contact STEP@episcopalhighschool.org for further details.
Affinity Gatherings
At Episcopal, affinity gatherings are distinct from student organizations or clubs. They provide adult-facilitated opportunities for students to reflect on and discuss how their own social identity or life experience might shape their perspectives and perceptions, influence how others perceive them, and have an impact on community.
Student discussions of how identity affects their lives, whether through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise, function as opportunities for students to work through challenges and support one another. These gatherings thus serve a series of overarching imperatives: building a sense of belonging; imbuing students with the confidence to bring their full selves to the school community; and encouraging authentic participation and constructive discourse. With confidence in themselves — and that they belong — students enrich the community through their participation and avoid the classic adolescent default of feeling that they must choose between being themselves and "fitting in."
We support affinity gatherings based on expressed student interest, taking care to let students know that this kind of support is available to every one of them, no matter who they are or how they identify. With this approach, we support and have supported gatherings based on the social identities of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and international status, as well for students who have lost a member of their immediate family.
Marking 50 Years of Integration
This history of Episcopal’s integration, filmed and produced by Luke David ’93, debuted on November 9, 2018, as part of Episcopal’s commemoration of the School’s integration in 1968.
Read about how EHS commemorated 50 years of integration in 2018
