Welcome
From the Head
At a Glance / School Profile
Mission and Values
Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity
History
Menlo Community
Board of Trustees
Head of School Search
Summer Programs
In the News
Employment
Our Campus
- Directions

Home >
About Menlo >
Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity

Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity

Menlo School strives to empower students to, in the words of our Mission Statement, "become ethical, responsible and engaged members of ever wider communities."

We care deeply about diversity, equity and inclusivity, and we’re committed to getting it right.

Welcome
Curriculum
Faculty
Family Support
Events
Student Reflections and Artwork
Student Affinity Clubs
School Partnerships
Non-Discrimination Policy

Diversity, Equity & Inclusivity Statement
Menlo School is committed to being a heterogeneous and inclusive community. We believe students are better educated and prepared to succeed when the School community—students, families, faculty, administration and staff—is diverse and inclusive. Diversity benefits the entire community by providing a wide range of perspectives and experiences. We embrace a broad definition of diversity: an inclusive community comprised of people with different racial, cultural, economic and religious backgrounds, as well as different gender identities and sexual orientations. In addition, we support students with a wide variety of interests, talents, physical abilities, personalities and politics.

The academic program includes courses that explore literature, languages and histories from around the world and frequently take a global perspective. Specifically, the required Freshman Seminar on Identity explores the relationship between identity and community.

Take a look through the Upper School course catalog and the Middle School course catalog.

Menlo School actively seeks to continue diversifying its faculty and staff, as well as searching for candidates who wish to work in a diverse, inclusive community.

Diversity committees explore ways to make the School even more inclusive, including a faculty/administration committee of 30 representatives from both the Upper School and Middle School, and a parent committee.

As part of their professional development, many Menlo faculty members attend and present at local and national workshops and conferences on diversity and inclusion, and the School hosts speakers at faculty in-service workshops.

Students and faculty attend and present at the yearly People of Color Conference and the Student Diversity Leadership Conference run by the National Association of Independent Schools. There, participants understand their roles in advancing their schools’ equity and justice around racial and ethnic identity, and students work with trained adult and peer facilitators to develop effective cross-cultural communication skills and effective strategies for social justice. Faculty also present on diversity topics at the annual California Association of Independent Schools conference.

Upper School students and faculty frequently attend the People of Color in Independent Schools Conference, joining in conversations on identity and learning tools to advocate for equity and inclusion at their schools.

Student and faculty attendees of the 2012 POCC

The 2012 Faculty In-Service was run by Prasant Nukalapati of A Better Chance, whose mission is to increase the number of young people of color capable of assuming positions of responsibility and leadership in American society.

Prasant Nukalapati

Many faculty, along with a trustee, attended a workshop led by Nonoko Sat, Executive Director of Schools, Mentoring and Resource Team (SMART), entitled “You Belong Here: Helping Traditionally Underrepresented Students Thrive in Independent Schools.”

The Director of Diversity and Outreach has regular communication with families from underserved communities to ensure that they have all the information they need and feel they are integral members of the larger community.

Menlo families from diverse backgrounds also join with the Diversity Director at monthly potluck dinners to share ideas and questions and to support each other.

Menlo hosts many speakers for students, faculty and parents on diversity and global issues. Students and faculty also organize on-campus events that celebrate diverse cultures, such as Hispanic Heritage Month events, the biannual International Fair, and performances by groups from around the world.

Les Petits Chanteurs visit from Haiti

Maasai warrior Elder Sabore Ole Oiya

Maha ElGanaidi speaking about perceptions of Islam

Tony Lopez ’12 writes about belonging to the Menlo community and his home community in “Caught Between Two Worlds.”

“Going to the Student Diversity Leadership Conference was a great experience. Being there made me realize that I’m not the only kid suffering and that some people have it a lot worse than I do. It really humbled me.”
— Class of ’15 student

Liz Jahng ’13 and Caroline Glazer ’12 created a shadow puppet film based on the Sanskrit epic Ramayana.

On-campus clubs provide opportunities to gather with fellow students around race or ethnicity, cultural interests, sexual orientation and community service activities—just to name a few.

Here are some of the clubs currently active on campus:

Anime Club is an opportunity for students to share their interest in, or curiosity about, Japanese culture and food, past to present.
Asia Club raises awareness and appreciation for Asian culture.
French Club explores French culture, language, art and food and raises funds to build schools in underdeveloped French-speaking countries.
Girls’ Leadership Club is for young women aspiring to create change in the world. Its focus is on helping our community, particularly organizations that benefit women around the world.
Hacky Sack Club is a service organization dedicated to aiding individuals with physical disabilities and to increase awareness of the needs of physically disabled individuals in high schools and the local community.
Knight Vision Club, a community service club, strives to perform hands-on service, fundraise for global and local causes, and create strong relationships within our local community.
Model United Nations is devoted to awareness of current international issues and participates in several conferences a year.
Persian Club explores the culture, food, history and politics of Iran to gain a better understanding of Persian culture and identity.
Spectrum Club celebrates the spectrum of human identity. It’s is a place where anyone can fully express themselves in a safe environment, no matter their gender or gender identity, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, cultural background or physical/mental ability.

The Peninsula Bridge Program takes place on the Menlo campus every summer. Peninsula Bridge supports motivated students from under-resourced communities. During the summer program, these students take Math and English course and participate in art, music and sports. Graduates of the Bridge program have enrolled at Menlo, and several Menlo students serve as Teaching Assistants in the summer, mentoring the younger students.

Taft Community School
Menlo has a long-standing partnership with Taft, an elementary school in Redwood City that serves a large population of socioeconomically disadvantaged families. Ninth graders engage in Literacy Day, during which Menlo students collaborate with Taft teachers to engage Taft students in literacy activities. After school, Menlo students tutor the younger kids and lead sports and arts clinics. Some help fifth graders with their public speaking unit or volunteer at Taft’s community field day. And advocacy groups “adopt a family” during the holidays: Taft families who can’t afford to buy holiday gifts make requests through the school’s Family Center, and a Menlo advocacy group donates those items.

“What’s made this program successful is the relationship we’ve built with Taft,” asserts Directory of Community Service Jessie Brugos. “It’s not one-way planning. Our two schools’ values are very similar: they’re a community school, and we’re a community of one. Both schools are invested in having parents, students and teachers all working together. The more time both communities spend together, the more they recognize the similarities—and that’s powerful.”

Non-Discrimination Policy
Menlo School does not discriminate on the basis of race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, handicap, disability or age in any of its policies, procedures or practices. This nondiscriminatory policy covers admission and access to, and treatment and employment in, the School’s program’s and activities.

Angela Birts
Director of Diversity and Outreach
650.330.2001 ext. 2240
angela.birts@menloschool.org

MLK Day Assembly,
Sojourn to the Past
January 16, 2013

International Fair
March 16, 2013

Heading

Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity