Middle School Diversity

Diversity, Equity, + Inclusion

As an integral element of our mission, Head-Royce School makes the ongoing commitment to creating and sustaining an equitable and just school culture and environment for the entire K-12 community, children and adults alike.


 

It is a profound honor to serve the children of this school where we center everything we do around our students. We believe that every child on our campus should be seen, valued, celebrated, and affirmed across every facet of their school experience.

We understand that diversity, equity, and inclusion are not buzzwords to be sprinkled atop academic and co-curricular programming. They are tools we leverage to build cultures of belonging for each of the children in our care:

  • Our diversity work asks questions of who comprises the Head-Royce community
  • Our equity work asks questions of the systems and structures our students navigate once they are on our campus
  • Our inclusion work invites us to consider the learning experiences of our students—asking questions about what and how they learn across our beautiful campus

Our work in building a culture of belonging is guided by the conviction that when diverse learners have access to educational ecosystems that are designed to support their bodies, minds, and spirits—when they have access to practices that engage them in the classroom…when learning is defined by intellectual rigor, community, and self-knowledge—every child can thrive. At Head-Royce, we understand that for our students to flourish, it is our responsibility not just to feed the fish but also to make sure that the water they swim in is healthy. By focusing on the systems, practices, and structures our students experience on campus, we can ensure that we are creating a culture where students can show up as they are and know what it means to thrive.

In partnership,

Savannah Strong Headshot
Savannah Strong
Dean of Equity and Community

 

Upper School Boys
Anti-Racism Statement

 

Anti-Racism Statement

Head-Royce School stands against racism and hatred in all its forms. Our entire community reflects diversity in cultural, racial, religious, and gender identities and we are stronger because of it. Our School's mission is built on the pillars of diversity, citizenship, and academics; our commitment to these principles demands that we raise our voices in pursuit of justice. We acknowledge the significant, ongoing pain and violence inflicted upon our Black community, and pledge to embody our mission by taking tangible actions to dismantle systemic racism and oppression.

 

 

Belonging Newsletter
Belonging Newsletter

 

Belonging Newsletter
Read all issues of our Belonging newsletter here!




Nia Logo
Nia Endowed Scholarship

Nia Endowed Scholarship for Students of Color

Purpose of Nia

Nia is the Swahili word for “purpose.” Nia encourages us to look within ourselves and set goals that are beneficial to the community. It represents our hopes and dreams for the future of our children and the future of Head-Royce. As a group of parents, faculty, and administrators, we collectively strive to foster community spirit within Head-Royce while building partnerships with community groups, individuals, and businesses.

Legacy of Nia

Nia was established in 2003 when four Head-Royce mothers met to discuss how they could contribute and support the three tenets of the Head-Royce mission—scholarship, diversity, and citizenship. It was decided to host an annual speakers event that would be open to the Head-Royce and greater Oakland communities. These founding members also had the equally important goal of establishing an endowed scholarship to support the tuition for students of color admitted to Head-Royce School. 

Nia in the Head-Royce Community

Established by the grassroots fundraising and personal financial contributions of the Nia founders, the Scholarship Endowment Fund has raised over $200,000 and ensures an admitted students of color will have financial backing throughout their Head-Royce academic career, regardless of any socio-economic limitations.



Herndon-Brown, Fields, and HRS Community
Events

 

Events

The Office of Equity and Inclusion is proud to partner with various Head-Royce groups – including the CommunityEd Speaker's Series, the Parents' Association, and the Nia Speaker of Color Series – to bring outstanding thinkers and activists to our community.

Learn more about upcoming and past events

 

 

Latinos Unidos
Family Affinity Groups

Family Affinity Groups

Affinity groups create a space for people with common interests, backgrounds and shared identities (such as race, gender, religion, etc.) to come together for support and community. Head-Royce Affinity Groups are led by current parents and reflect the current community.

Our 2023–24 Affinity Groups are: 

  • African American Family Network
  • Asian Parents Network
  • Gender and Sexuality Diversity Network
  • Latino Families Network
  • Learning Differences Network
  • White Anti-Racist Family Network

 

Black Student Union at Black Joy Parade
Student Affinity Groups

Student Affinity Groups

For students seeking an affinity group, there are many on campus to join. There are nine Upper School groups and several middle school groups. These change from year to year, reflecting the needs of our current community. Our 2023–24 Affinity Groups are: 

Upper School

  • Black Student Union (BSU)
  • Desi Originated Student Association (DOSA)
  • Gender Sexuality Diversity (GSD)
  • Jewish Affinity Group
  • Latinos Unidos
  • Multi-Racial Affinity Group
  • Muslim Middle-Eastern, North African, Southwest Asian Group (MMENA)
  • Neurodiversity Alliance
  • Pan-Asian Student Alliance (PASA)
  • White Anti-Racist Group (WAG)

Middle School

  • Asian, Pacific Islander, South Asian Alliance (APISSA)
  • Black Student Union (BSU)
  • Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA)
  • Jewish Student Alliance
  • Mixed-Race Affinity
  • Latinos Unidos
  • Students of Color Alliance
  • White Anti-Racist Group (WAG)

 

Employees Meeting
Professional Development

Professional Development

All Head-Royce Professional Community members participate in Professional Development opportunities throughout the year. Here is a small sampling of our recent work:

  • Cohort of adults and students attended the 2023 NAIS People of Color Conference and the Student Diversity Leadership Conference
  • Full Professional Community workshop with E&I trainer Rosetta Lee on "Beyond the Why and Into the How: Practical Steps Toward Inclusive Classrooms"
  • Administrative leadership workshops with Elena Aguilar on effective and equitable leadership
  • National Equity Project racial affinity groups for faculty and staff throughout the year

 

 

DEI Mission Statement

We are committed to: 
 
  • Working to foster a local and global perspective so that we as a Community embrace world cultures, solve pressing issues, understand interconnectedness, evaluate and resolve conflicts and cause positive change.
  • Continually recognize and urgently repair any and all hurt or harm caused, individually and systematically.  
  • Challenging our institution to strive beyond diversity and embed inclusion and belonging at every level. 
  • Actively promoting respect for others, embracing individual, cultural and socioeconomic differences and modeling social responsibility, equity and justice. We seek to engage and listen with empathy and respect across existing differences. 
  • Investing in the recruitment, hiring and retention of Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) as our School values the perspective and leadership of the BIPOC community.
  • Welcoming the discomfort of making mistakes. We acknowledge that creating an inclusive and safe learning community requires evolution and we must embrace conflict and discomfort and learn from our mistakes.
  • Providing the time and resources necessary for our professional community members, administration and Board of Trustees to participate in trainings, review and revise curriculum, pedagogy, policies and practices through an anti-racist lens.

With these commitments, we intend to mold our school’s culture to our mission by ensuring empowerment and belonging for all students and Professional Community members. Through these efforts, we hope that our students will gain a greater understanding of themselves, while cultivating the ability to embrace differences and think deeply about our diverse society and the expected and necessary changes that must occur.