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.

Read Fay's Equity and Inclusion Plan

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 deep discussions across the curriculum. 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. The Upper School Students of Color group has also expanded into the Lower School with monthly breakfasts, bringing together students from both divisions.
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 identifying as part of the LGBTQ+ community; attend local and national DEI conferences; and explore intentional curricular units focusing on equity in the larger community. Ninth Grade students recently traveled to Georgia and Alabama where they learned about the Civil Rights Movement, leadership, and justice. Read about their journey here.
Fay faculty regularly attend local and national conferences and workshops in conjunction with in-house professional development opportunities each month 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.

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.

DEI Calendar - Fall 2025

January 6 Three Kings Day
January 8 Upper School Community Connections
January 15 Faculty/Staff DEI Committee
January 15 Upper School Students of Color
January 19 MLK Day
January 20 PS Students of Color
January 21 Lower and Upper School Students of Color Breakfast
January 22 Q&A and Ally Group
January 26 MLK Community Monday
January 27 International Holocaust Remembrance Day
January 29 Upper School Community Connections
February 1-28 Black History Month
February 1 National Freedom Day
February 1 International Students Conference
February 4 National Girls and Women in Sports Day
February 5 Upper School Students of Color
February 7 AISNE Middle School Diversity Conference
February 9 Lower School Community Connections
February 17 Lunar New Year
February 17 Ramadan begins
February 18 Ash Wednesday
February 19 Q&A and Ally Group
February 20 Faculty/Staff DEI Committee
February 24 Primary School Students of Color Breakfast
February 25 Lower and Upper School Students of Color Breakfast
March 1-31 Women’s History Month and National Disability Awareness Month
March 1-5 9th Grade Civil Rights Trip
March 2 Purim
March 3 Lantern Festival
March 4 Holi

Suggested Reading

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 on: Taste of Nations

Frequently Asked Questions

List of 8 frequently asked questions.

  • What is equity and inclusion?

    Equity is achieved when people have what they need to participate in community life and reach their full potential, mentally, physically, and emotionally. Equity ensures that essential programs, services, activities, and technologies are accessible to all. Equity is the expression and execution of genuine respect, ethical behavior, and treating every member of the community with dignity.

    Inclusion is authentically taking every individual’s experience and identity into account and creating conditions where all feel accepted, safe, empowered, supported, and affirmed. Inclusivity also promotes and enacts the sharing of power and recognition of interdependence, where individuals and community members share responsibility for expressing core values and maintaining respect for differences in the spirit of care and cooperation. (NAIS.org)

  • Fay’s community is already very diverse. Why do we need to have these kinds of conversations?

    As stated in Fay’s Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, “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.” 

    Equity and inclusion work is ongoing, language evolves with the world around us, and students today are more equipped than ever before to engage in conversations about identity, even at a young age. Through our equity and inclusion work here on campus, our students learn how to think critically about systems and structures, make their own thoughtful decisions, and participate in meaningful conversations. Our work here at Fay is consistent with NAIS Principles of Good Practice for Equity and Justice.

  • What is Community Connections?

    Community Connections is an optional workshop forum open to all Upper School students that takes place approximately once per month. Workshops are led by both faculty and students; participants engage in conversations about identity, community, and events in the world around us. The mission of Community Connections is to foster respect and welcome all voices as we promote dialogue and enhance the visibility of all our community members. We work to increase understanding, empathy, connection, and inclusion, and to celebrate the diversity and differences that make our community unique.

    Lower School Community Connections meets monthly during lunch and is open to 5th and 6th grade students.

    Parent Community Connections meets regularly over Zoom.

  • What affinity groups are offered at Fay?

    Affinity groups at Fay meet on a rotating basis about once per month. 

    Fay offers two optional affinity groups in the Upper School: Students of Color and Q&A. Students of color is an umbrella term used for all people who identify as members of racially and/or ethnically marginalized groups. Q&A is an affinity group for students who identify as member of the LGBTQIA+ community. These spaces provide support, encouragement, and affirmation. They are places to share stories, experience solidarity, and are safe spaces for a community member to be fully and authentically themselves.

    Lower School students have an optional monthly Students of Color breakfast with Upper School students, and faculty and staff of color have gatherings throughout the year.

  • Why are affinity groups important?

    Affinity groups bring together “groups of people who have an identifier in common, e.g. race, gender, religion, family status, etc. Affinity groups allow for an exploration of one’s own identity, celebration of shared identity, and debriefing of the common challenges and experiences that members of the identity group face. Affinity groups are one aspect of creating a diverse and socially just world. They create the safe space needed for people to build strength and pride. Having conversations in affinity groups allows us to examine some of the roots of why we see the world the way we do, allowing us to acknowledge that we may experience the world differently than someone else. This understanding engenders greater acceptance of other perspectives, allowing for more fruitful cross-cultural dialogues.” (Rosetta Lee, Seattle Girls’ School, Seattle, WA)

  • I'm concerned that affinity groups promote separation instead of inclusion.

    Affinity groups are important to help students and adults from underrepresented groups feel included, seen, and understood. We believe that affinity groups provide critical support that helps individuals to more fully engage in the community, build stronger relationships across differences, and grow as school leaders.

  • What learning opportunities are available for faculty and staff?

    Faculty and staff participate in equity and inclusion workshops led by Fay’s Director of Equity and Inclusion as well as outside experts throughout the year at Once-a-Month Monday meetings and professional development days each term. Fay also generously provides funding for faculty and staff to participate in outside professional development throughout the year. A list of just some of the workshops attended by faculty and staff members in recent years is below.

    AISNE DEI Conference
    AISNE Health and Wellness Conference
    Courageous Conversations
    CSEE Middle School Summit
    Diversity Direction
    The Equity Exchange
    Global Education Benchmark Group (GEBG) Global Educators Conference
    Inclusion in the Early Years
    Inclusive Schools Network Institute
    Multicultural Teaching Institute
    NAIS Diversity Leadership Institute
    NAIS Equity Design Lab
    NAIS People of Color Conference
    National Diversity Practitioner’s Institute
    National Partnership for Educational Access
    Project Zero
    Stanley King Institute

  • Who can I talk to if I have questions about equity and inclusion at Fay?

    Please contact Jill Anthony, Fay's Director of Equity and Inclusion. Her office is located in Root 128, and she can be reached at janthony@fayschool.org or at 508-490-8288.
    Please also check this webpage, as the book and resources section is updated each term.
48 MAIN STREET
SOUTHBOROUGH, MA 01772
main number 508-490-8250
admission 508-490-8201