Statement of Community and Inclusion

(adopted by the Board of Trustees on March 9, 2010)

Our Mission

Our School is a Community that

INSPIRES children to develop a love of learning, thoughtful perspectives, and a diversity of skills;

NURTURES in each of them a deep sense of respect, responsibility and compassion; and

CHALLENGES them to envision and work toward a better world.

Our Community

We are an intentionally diverse Community of adults and children who share the core values of respect, responsibility and compassion. To successfully realize our mission and values, each of us must actively help build and cultivate our multifaceted community by developing cultural competency: the will and ability to create, nurture and sustain authentic relationships across differences.^*

We define diversity as including, but not limited to, the human facets that collectively and historically correlate with differences in social experiences and, in turn, give rise to diverse perspectives: race, ethnicity, national origin, geography, religion, gender, affectional or sexual orientation, learning style, age, physical ability, family structure and economic status.^**

In living our mission and values, all community members must be willing to take intellectual and emotional risks; learn from mistakes; improve upon successes; show persistence, integrity, flexibility and courage in solving problems and, through it all, maintain a sense of wonder and of fun. Each of us has much to offer and much to learn.

Ours is a Community that would be uncomfortable without diversity. We expect all our members to honor and value multiple ideas and experiences, seek missing voices and embrace one another’s story. We understand the interrelatedness of our local, national and global communities. We work cooperatively, value human dignity and advocate for social justice. We appreciate that our work in all of this is iterative, ongoing and never done.

Our Vision

Our Community members inspire, nurture and challenge one another. Grounded by these core values through their MCDS education, our students gain the knowledge, skills and character necessary to step up and lead effective and fulfilling lives as engaged global citizens in a complex multicultural and interdependent world.

^*Adapted in part from national diversity educator Gary Howard and The Blake School (MN).

^**Adapted in part from the work of Alison Park at Blink Consulting.