By Cheryl Schenk, Director of Enrollment Management

With a diverse collective of faculty and staff from across the Eastside Prep community, the Equity, Inclusion, and Compassionate Leadership (EICL) Organizational Design Group (ODG) convened for the first time in November. Small and large strides in equity and inclusion have already been made by members of the EPS community, including EICL co-coordinators Bess McKinney and Ed Castro, an existing faculty/staff workgroup, and numerous individuals addressing equity and inclusion—both in and beyond the classroom. The ODG works to build on those efforts. We have been supported in our work by the diversity consulting team at Blink Consulting, including Alison Park and Chris Thinnes. Our consultants supported the initial half-day norming retreat in addition to regularly advising the ODG co-facilitators, Bess McKinney and Sam Uzwack. The ODG has been meeting weekly to accomplish our three charges: establish organizational priorities for EICL, compose a Director of EICL job description, and plan a Belonging Audit. Through our collaborative efforts, diverse viewpoints, and open communication, we strive to actively shape the inclusive and equitable future of Eastside Prep.

Charges Given to the EICL Organizational Design Group

Establish Organizational Priorities for EICL
Short- and long-term goals for how EPS can become a more equitable and inclusive community. An example of one goal would be establishing grade-level specific and developmentally appropriate EICL competencies for students.

Compose a Director of EICL Job Description
The opportunity statement posted on February 14th reached a nationwide pool of candidates for this inaugural schoolwide leadership position.

Plan a Belonging Audit
Assess and establish a baseline of our school-wide EICL progress through analysis of our institutional practices, program design, stakeholder perspectives, and data analysis. Student and employee focus groups held in March are an example of these efforts.

Motivations and Inspirations

The members of the EICL ODG are driven by a variety of motivations and inspirations to join the group. For many, the desire to contribute to a more inclusive and equitable environment is a significant factor. Historical Thinking faculty member Ryan Winkelmann emphasizes the importance of belonging as the foundation of learning, noting that “if you don’t consistently feel like you belong, it is very challenging to learn and connect.” Winkelmann also reflects on the potential for the individualized nature of achievement at school to come at the cost of community. This sentiment is echoed by School Counselor Sam Foote, who highlights that “justice is at the core of a lot of my life as well as my practice as a counselor,” and they join the ODG to push the school to align its systems with values of equity and justice. Foote is motivated by the desire to build a world of care, connection, and accountability for young people, ensuring that they feel part of the world they are co-creating. Technology faculty member Masato Sudo wants to bring his Asian-American perspective to the table, driven by a desire to help those who feel excluded. Sudo shares, “It hurts my heart to see and hear any people in our community who experience the opposite, and I want to help.” Social Science and Literary Thinking faculty member Diana Gonzalez-Castillo shared her identity-based perspective as well: “As a Latina, I’ve been the recipient of care from teachers and professors who recognized and celebrated my identity, as well as mentors here at EPS—people who understood that helping me succeed meant facilitating my belonging. My personal stake in DEI, rooted in my own experiences, inspired me to join the ODG so that others can experience this same care.” Similarly, Science faculty member Maritza Tavarez-Brown (who has prior experience in diversity, equity and inclusion work), feels inspired to contribute to the cause at Eastside Prep, stating, “I’m passionate about EICL and have spent time in my previous school engaging in this important work, both working with faculty and staff, and students.” Jamie Andrus, Assistant Director of Student Well-Being, also brings the unique lens of her work in learning support to the ODG: “We talk about the commitment to neurodiversity at EPS, but without the strongest foundation of diversity, equity, and inclusion broadly here, we won’t be able to meet our goal of supporting all learners.”

Upper School Head John Stegeman embraces the opportunity to align the school’s values, structures, and systems with equity and inclusion, seeing it as a once-in-a-career opportunity. Middle School Head Sarah Peeden states, “This group allows me to show my care for our community and also to hear and learn from others across the organization.” Spanish Faculty member Laura Botero succinctly captures the group’s shared vision: “The idea of creating a community where everyone belongs.”

Skills and Dispositions

The group members bring a diverse set of skills and dispositions to their meetings, which are crucial in facilitating productive discussions and effective planning. Head of School Sam Uzwack notes, “The goal of the ODG is to bring as many perspectives on the school together as makes sense for the job at hand. The idea of bringing together a diverse set of perspectives to solve novel problems was a key principle at the school’s founding, and the ODG applies this essential concept to school leadership. I see this as a model for future projects and processes, and am excited to see what emerges from this experience.” EICL Co-Coordinator Bess McKinney considers the backgrounds, identities, and roles of each member to understand how they might be showing up in the meetings, adding, “Trying to think about where each person might be coming from—both what they’re carrying into our meeting, as well as what their backgrounds, identities, upbringings, positions at school mean for how they can or might be showing up.” Winkelmann finds himself focusing on the idea that “where you spend your time is the biggest indicator of your values,” a point he often emphasizes in meetings. Foote, a natural connector, states “I see my ability to connect with others—and also to connect ideas together—as useful skills for our meetings.”

Building connection is echoed by other group members. Sudo approaches each meeting with “an open mind and heart,” ready to listen, learn, and share. Tavarez-Brown shares, “The lens/disposition I bring is looking at the relationship-building aspect of this work. I believe this aspect is at the core of our work, and it strengthens the fabric of belonging at our school.”

Listening, perspective-sharing, and perspective-taking are also important elements. Stegeman values listening, noting, “We have a diverse group of people with a range of experience, identity, and roles. It has been rewarding to learn from them all.” Botero brings “honesty and my own perspective” to the table, along with many clarifying questions, and Peeden engages in active listening to understand others’ experiences better, stating, “I like to participate in active listening. This group is a cross-section of the school, and it gives me the opportunity to learn and grow through my understanding of others’ experiences.”

Process

The process of the ODG is characterized by collaboration, open communication, and a shared commitment to the group’s goals. College Counseling and Alumni Relations Coordinator Katie Yost highlights, “We work well together to dream big ideas about the future of EICL while also identifying tangible work that can and needs to begin now. Doing this thinking in a collaborative and honest way feels both fitting and crucial.” Tavarez-Brown describes the process as “thoughtful and expansive,” and Stegeman notes, “We start each meeting by prioritizing connection and self-awareness. The work we do from there involves small-group dialogue and large group shares.”

Foote describes the process as one of facilitated collaboration, with small group discussions and consensus-building playing key roles. Foote explains, “We practiced a lot of facilitated collaboration, especially by breaking off into small groups, practicing synthesizing information to bring back to the larger group, and finding consensus whether that be through rating things or continuing to come back to ideas that did not feel processed by the group.”

Sudo appreciates the organic nature of the process, recognizing the importance of belonging as a fundamental human need that must be prioritized. Sudo shares, “The process was and is very organic, which I think is great. We have storming, norming, and performing phases like any other team that works together. But what we are working on is so important, and we talk about and try to think about the EICL future of EPS for the next three to five years. Belonging is such a fundamental human need, and it has to be a priority.”

Botero values working with people who care deeply about the community, stating, “It’s great to work with people who want the best for the community and care about each one of their members.” Peeden adds, “Our process is collaborative and community driven.”

This community-driven process is not seamless, however, as we bridge perspectives from diverse roles within the school. McKinney reflects, “I think that we are collaborating in a great way, but I also do think that the limiting factors of who folks are in our organization continue to impact how everyone is showing up in the meeting. That limits trust and collaboration, and I think it’s something that this group will need to continue to work on and really face in order to be a model for collaborative work at EPS.”

Group norming efforts to establish and reconnect on our common ground do help to build trust and consensus, however. Yost mentions how the group aims to “favor honesty over consensus while still finding ways to move forward.” Winkelmann adds, “We all clearly want to create a place where belonging is central, so it feels like even when we aren’t agreeing completely, we are still moving in the same direction, which is why I felt super proud of the job description we sent out.”

“This group is a cross-section of the school, and it gives me the opportunity to learn and grow through my understanding of others’ experiences.”

 

“I do think there have been moments of real joy in our meetings and laughter, and that has felt great. I think that has partly come from being in a group dedicated to advancing equity and inclusion with folks who feel this is critical and have wanted to see the advancement of these values at EPS.”

Surprises and Insights

Being part of the ODG brings about some unexpected insights and surprises for the members. Foote shares, “I am always surprised by the small ways I get to know my colleagues with more depth, whether that be the way that they think and process challenging ideas or in the check-ins where I get to receive a small sliver of their lives.” Sudo notes how well the group shares openly and works together, with the boundaries of positionality blurring in a positive way. “With every week, the lines between faculty, staff, and leadership blurred, where it didn’t seem to matter anymore—which is a really good thing!”

Stegeman states, “We have so much talent and insight in our community. It is a rich and rewarding experience to work with this group.” Peeden adds, “I have enjoyed how the group has further developed my relationships with others on the team.”

McKinney enjoys time with colleagues, reflecting, “The joy. I do think there have been moments of real joy in our meetings and laughter, and that has felt great. I think that has partly come from being in a group dedicated to advancing equity and inclusion with folks who feel this is critical and have wanted to see the advancement of these values at EPS.”

Winkelmann expresses hopefulness about the impacts of the ODG collaboration, stating, “I really look forward to this work, and I am hopeful that I am going to have both short and long-term impacts on our community.”

A Collaborative Future

Following the hiring and onboarding of our new Director of Equity, Inclusion, and Compassionate Leadership, the Organizational Design Group will continue to serve as a steering committee of committed colleagues supporting the EICL team. By leveraging our diverse skills and viewpoints, and establishing group norms of open communication across roles, we can serve as a model for supporting organizational priorities across a number of domains. Through our shared commitment to equity, inclusion, and compassionate leadership, we are making strides not only in our EICL priorities, but in piloting this highly collaborative process of diverse constituents to address school-wide initiatives. Reflecting on the process to date, Uzwack states, “I am incredibly appreciative of the careful thought and significant time contributed by the team members. Their care for the overall school community runs deep.”