The Foundation for a Meaningful Life
Kindergarten - Grade 9 in Southborough, MA
About

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Fay School Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

At Fay School, we believe that a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community supports the School’s mission to establish the foundation for a meaningful life. We intentionally integrate multiple perspectives into our curriculum and community. Through ongoing attention to the diverse identities of our community members, we strive to maintain a positive culture in which every person is valued and treated with dignity.
 
Students and adults at Fay work to develop the skills necessary for constructive engagement with our rapidly changing world. We are committed to honest reflection on the differences and commonalities that enrich our lives. In a spirit of service, we challenge one another to demonstrate empathy, humility, and moral courage. Each member of our community is expected to treat others with openness, attentiveness, and compassion.

What does diversity, equity, and inclusion work look like at Fay?

Across the grades, faculty collaborate with the Director of Equity and Inclusion and with each other to provide contextual, meaningful, and developmentally appropriate opportunities to develop empathy, reflect on identity, and consider multiple perspectives. 
In Primary School, students explore the various identities that make up who we are, with projects like learning the background of their own names or reading about the indigenous tribes of Massachusetts. Teachers are trained in racial literacy and learn how to help primary-age children celebrate one another across differences. 
In Lower School, students engage in equity and inclusion work through a focus on intentional book choices and discussions through the annual One School One Book project. Students participate in meaningful service learning activities with a focus on empathy, purpose, and connection. Through their classes in world languages, history, and reading and writing, students also explore holiday celebrations and storytelling across cultures. Sixth grade students begin to grow as leaders in equity and inclusion work in preparation for a deeper dive in Upper School.
In Upper School, equity and inclusion work is found in leadership opportunities for students in Community Connections, a student-led, faculty-advised workshop group whose goal is to encourage awareness and respect for people’s differences within the community. Students also have opportunities to participate in affinity spaces for students of color and students learning more about LGBTQ+ communities; attend local and national DEI conferences, including the NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference; and explore intentional curricular units focusing on equity in the larger community.
Fay faculty regularly attend local and national conferences and workshops in conjunction with in-house professional development opportunities on subjects such as systems thinking, responding to incidents of bias, and belonging. Faculty also participate in Community Connections and serve as Fay ambassadors in their local communities and internationally.
Read more:
Gaining Perspective, Building Community (Fay Magazine, Fall 2017)
Primary School Update: Cultural Curiosity (Fay Magazine, Fall 2020)

Meet Jill Anthony, Director of Equity and Inclusion

B.A., Vanderbilt University
M.A., Savannah College of Art and Design

As Fay’s first Director of Equity and Inclusion, Jill works in all three divisions with students, faculty, staff, parents, trustees, and alumni to help guide the school in its ongoing equity and inclusion work by promoting cultural awareness, cultivating a sense of belonging, and creating space for brave conversations.
Jill came to Fay from Gilman School in Baltimore, Maryland, where she served as Co-Director of Global Programs, taught Latin, and coached volleyball. She also served on Gilman’s Community, Inclusion, and Equity Executive Committee and Gender Equity Committee, where she helped write the school’s Strategic Plan for Community, Equity, and Inclusion, and facilitated professional development for faculty and staff. Jill has also led student workshops and conferences at Gilman, throughout the Baltimore area, and nationally as faculty of the NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference. Prior to Gilman, Jill taught at the Kinkaid School in Houston, Texas; Antilles School in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands; and the Wardlaw-Hartridge School in Edison, New Jersey.

Jill can be reached at janthony@fayschool.org.

Suggested Reading - Fall 2022

Check out these titles to spark conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion. We'll be updating these lists each term.

Primary/Lower School


Lower/Upper School

Parents and Teachers

Spotlight: Finding Your Voice

  1. Do the Work!: An Antiracist Activity Book, W. Kamau Bell and Kate Schatz
    Somewhere We Are Human, Reyna Grande and Sonia Guiñansaca
  2. Tomorrow Will Be Different, Sarah McBride
  3. Where Are You From?, Yamile Saied Mendez
  4. When You Are Brave, Pat Zietlow Miller and Eliza Wheeler
  5. The Me I Choose To Be, Natasha Anastasia Tarpley and Kahran and Regis Bethencourt
  6. Lola Out Loud, Jennifer Torres and Sara Palacios
  7. Piecing Me Together, Renee Watson
  8. Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America, Carole Boston Weatherford
  9. Covering, Kenji Yoshino
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SOUTHBOROUGH, MA 01772
main number 508-490-8250
admission 508-490-8201