Thayer Academy's Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Since it first opened its doors in 1877, Thayer Academy has fostered a co-educational environment that affords equal access to students from a broad range of socio-economic circumstances, so they may pursue and develop their talents, interests, and passions.

Thayer Academy remains committed to providing a safe, welcoming, and inspiring environment for every student in our community. We value the commonalities that unite us and celebrate the diversity which makes this community stronger and more vibrant -- a diversity that embraces, but is not limited to: race, religion, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, learning style, physical ability, family makeup, and socioeconomic status.

Thayer Academy’s Strategic Plan for Racial Equity and Justice

The plan seeks to address issues of racial inequity and identify specific action items for change while guiding Thayer to become an antiracist community.

Click here to read recent communications to our community

Student Organizations

Asian Culture Club

ISOKAN

ISOKAN is the African American/Black affinity group at Thayer, intending to serve as a voice and support group. We are a program whose focus is to facilitate events and meetings that will UPLIFT, ENLIGHTEN and EDUCATE not only Thayer’s Black community but our entire community at large. Our events are geared towards creating growth in the areas of academics, community service, and social events.

OMEGA

(Organization for Minority Enrichment, Growth & Awareness) The Upper School diversity club committed to enriching and educating the community about diversity, inclusion, and equity in the school. The club meets weekly to discuss current events, social justice issues, and deepens students' awareness about global topics. Students participate in a number of service opportunities, including The Mother's Day Walk for Peace, sponsor bake sales to support local organizations, and host two family potluck dinners per year.

Spectrum

Project RISE

Thayer history teacher, alum, and parent Rob Dixon ‘79, P ‘03 ‘16 started Project RISE in 1993 to provide the same opportunities he had been given when he arrived at Thayer as a student from Dorchester.

Annual Activities for Students & Families

Diversity Day Celebrations at both the Middle and Upper Schools
Middle School Diversity Day Bring 'n' Share
Upper School OMEGA Family Potluck Dinners
Dr. Martin Luther King Day of Service & Breakfast
International Student Welcome
Lunar New Year Celebration
Learning-Through-Travel trips to other countries/cultures
NAIS Students of Color & Diversity Conferences, including the Student Diversity Leadership Conference

Academic Curriculum

Thayer’s curriculum reflects the school’s goals for educating students for global citizenship through awareness and understanding of the range of cultures that contribute to the diversity of the world.

The Upper School history classes include 9th grade World History and an array of electives including the Global Scholars Capstone Program, African History and the African-American Experience, and Law and Society.
In English classes, students study world literature and other works chosen not only for their literary value but also for the insights they offer into a culture, reflecting physical, social, political, and religious perspectives. Upper School English classes designated as part of the Global Scholars Program (GSP) include Scene to Screen, Newsworthy, and Crossing Borders: Journeys and Transformations.
The World Language curriculum’s foundational premise is cultural awareness. Language classes offered are Spanish, Latin, French, and Mandarin Chinese (Upper School only).
Thayer’s Learning through Travel programs are designed to give students immersion opportunities to experience other cultures and languages. Students can choose to travel with Thayer-sponsored programs to China, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, Quebec, France, Greece, India, Italy, Peru, and Spain. There are also many opportunities sponsored by Students Shoulder-to-Shoulder (SStS), Thayer’s partner, offering service-oriented opportunities in different locations each year. In the past, SStS has placed students in Tibet, Cambodia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Bolivia, and Kenya along with a few sites in the United States, such as New Orleans, Detroit, and the Lakota Native American Reservation.

Curriculum Updates for 2020-21 School Year

Middle School
Upper School

Middle School

The Middle School history department has been working hard over the past few years to be more inclusive of the unheard voices in history, specifically people of color. We have previously included in our curriculum a variety of lessons using organizations that seek to do exactly that, including Facing History and Ourselves, The Zinn Education Project, as well as The Choices Program out of Brown University. Further, we have integrated supplementary content and readings from books such as: A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America by Ronald Takagi, A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn, as well as Lies My Teacher Told Me by James Loewen. These sources have been particularly useful when we teach about slavery in the United States. This year, we also plan to add material from the book Stamped: Racism, AntiRacism, And You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X Kendi throughout the year. That being said, there is still work to be done, and the following are the specific changes/updates for this year at each grade level. We will continue to work to make our history courses more inclusive and add additional lessons and content throughout the year.

Fifth Grade

We have switched our existing fifth grade history curriculum from the study of Rome to the study of the Ancient World. This change will allow students to have a more complete narrative of history that is also more inclusive of cultures and civilizations around the world.

Sixth Grade

In the sixth grade, students will take time at the beginning of the year to review the historical context of the Black Lives Matter movement, giving background to the protests that occurred throughout the summer. They will then look at how they can apply antiracism into their reading of their summer book The Cay.

Seventh and Eighth Grades

In both seventh and eighth grades, students will take part in two multi-day lessons that provide background on how the Black Lives Matter movement came to be and learn about the specific goals of the movement. In the first lesson, students will learn how the Trayvon Martin ruling gave rise to the term "Black Lives Matter" and will then analyze a variety of graphs, charts, and other infographics which illustrate the racial inequalities the movement is looking to change. Next, the students will take part in a lesson from The Choices Program titled "BLM, the Killing of George Floyd, and the Long Fight for Racial Justice" where they will review a timeline of Black activism in the United States from the 1950s to today, identify core themes of the civil rights, racial justice, and Black Lives Matter movement, recognize patterns within and across different decades of activism, and collaborate to consider accomplishments of civil rights activists and the enduring obstacles to racial equality in the United States.

Seventh Grade

The seventh grade world history course will continue to be less Eurocentric. To that end, we will be dropping content, lessons, and projects on the Vikings in order to spend even more time on West African civilizations, Imperial China, and the rise and spread of Islam later in the year.

Students will take part in a lesson about Christopher Columbus using content from A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn. Students will read primary source letters by the Spanish priest Las Casas that illustrate the Spanish treatment of the Arawak Native Americans and how that impacts their view on Columbus.

We will continue to add a more diverse list of options for our year-end Modern Explorers research paper to include more women and people of color. We will do so for all projects throughout the year as well.

Specific to this course, we will integrate content from the book A People's History of the World by Chris Harman throughout the year.

Eighth Grade

We have changed the name of the course from "American History and Civics" to "US History and Civics" to be more explicit about the content we cover.

Students will read excerpts from David Walker's An Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World as a response to The Declaration of Independence. Students will then take part in a series of discussions comparing the writings in both documents and will contemplate, among other points, whether or not our government today protects the idea that "all men are created equal."

The students will analyze a variety of sources, both modern and primary, on Nat Turner and his rebellion. Through their analysis, students will learn about how Nat Turner has been depicted differently throughout time. The students will be asked to discuss why that is, and also which depiction should be trusted. Additionally, the students will learn that Nat Turner's rebellion was only one example of a multitude of uprisings that those held in slavery took part in over the course of early US history.

As we approach Black History Month and Women's History Month, we will add additional lessons providing context for each in an effort to include a more diverse list of voices in US history. We will work to make the integrations of these lessons more fluid with the existing curriculum, as opposed to standalone lessons.

Upper School

Upper School History Unit: Systemic Racism & Black Lives Matter

As part of our history curriculum, all Upper School history students will begin the 2020-21 school year focused on systemic racism and the Black Lives Matter movement. In this unit, students will investigate the question: Why did protests for racial justice sweep the nation -- and the globe -- in the summer of 2020? By exploring a wide variety of sources -- images, articles, documentary clips, economic data, and art -- students will uncover the root causes of these protests and piece together a more thorough understanding of their historical context. Topics will include: policing and mass incarceration; housing discrimination and the wealth gap; health disparities and Coronavirus; segregation in education; and political disenfranchisement. As a culminating activity, students will host a family discussion on this topic based on questions they write themselves. Our hope is that students come to better understand systemic racism and the long history of resistance to that racism, and that their family discussions spark further intergenerational dialogue about these important issues. Click here to learn more about this unit.

Antiracism and Social Justice Course

Thayer Academy’s Antiracism and Social Justice course, required for all Upper School students, furthers the diversity, equity, and inclusion curricular work and experiences. The course has four main goals/outcomes:

Deeper understanding of the historical roots of racism (knowledge foundation)
Deeper understanding of the current racial landscape (current events)
Development of an antiracist mindset
Application of practical antiracist skills

Through a careful exploration of the complex historical processes that engendered the concepts of “race”, “racism”, and “antiracism”, students will be better equipped to see the connections between the past and the present, as well as appreciate the changing landscape of racial discourse locally and globally. Topics covered include: the history of “race”; identity; science of race; economics; and arts and literature. Using a project-based learning educational framework, students will also have the opportunity to engage in a project to help build their antiracism skills, further promoting the “common good”.

Resources for Faculty

Professional Development Opportunities in Diversity Training

National Antiracism Teach-In (August 10-12, 2020)

The National Antiracism Teach-in is an annual conference and global movement to dismantle structures and norms that uphold racial inequity. In its second year, this explosive gathering provides a productive space for attendees to explore the foundational history of racism and bias and recognize the presence of racism in ways that are often overlooked.

Thayer Academy's sponsorship of the conference provided the opportunity for all faculty, staff, parents, students and alumni to attend.

Faculty/Staff Workshop with Debby Irving, Author of Waking Up White (September 1, 2020)

All faculty and staff participated in required summer reading of Waking Up White by Debby Irving, which focused on the role cultural bias plays in our view of the world and its inhabitants. Thayer Academy then hosted Debby Irving for workshops with all faculty and staff to discuss the book and share their views about how this perspective will inform the role they play within our community.

Teaching Symposium

The Teaching Symposium is a professional development opportunity for faculty. Colleagues gather monthly to discuss a variety of topics over dinner. Sometimes faculty read a book or article to inspire conversation about a relevant issue. A sampling of topics in the past have included:

So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
Project-Based Learning
How to be an Ally to our LGBTQ community members
Parent Communication
White Fragility by Robin D'Angelo
Student Feedback
Homework

Conferences

Faculty and staff members annually attend regional and national conferences including:

Teaching Fellows Program

The Thayer Academy Teaching Fellows Program is a two-year program in which aspiring educators from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds are selected to both work and learn at the Academy. Fellows will become familiar with all aspects of Thayer’s extensive academic and extracurricular programs and will work closely with a professional mentor in the assigned areas of responsibility, which may fall in the Middle School, the Upper School, or both.

Initially, Fellows will observe classes and assist with individual and group projects. As the year progresses, Fellows will take on more responsibility, typically culminating in teaching classes. As part of a broad introduction to independent school life, Fellows will also visit classes outside their chosen disciplines on a consistent basis; they will have both regular and informal meetings/conversations with a Thayer staff regarding educational issues, curricula, and topics relevant to teaching at the middle and secondary levels in independent schools. Other responsibilities will include participating in family/teacher conferences, attending faculty meetings, and fulfilling other occasional duties, such as coaching or leading electives/activities.

The Academy expects Teaching Fellows to work with the assigned mentor to develop a two-year professional development plan that will include, but not be limited to, enrollment in a master’s program. Thayer Academy will fully fund these activities during the Fellow’s employment at the Academy.

While it may very well be the case that Thayer Academy will seek to hire Fellows as full-time teachers upon conclusion of the program, the Academy will commit to providing guidance and support for other future professional opportunities that Fellows may pursue following the conclusion of the program.

Qualifications include a bachelor’s degree with a major in an area related to English, Mathematics, Foreign Language, Social Studies, Science, or Physical Education.

Compensation includes a stipend and professional development (which includes the master’s degree program previously mentioned). In addition, there is rent-free, on-campus housing available.

To learn more about this program, please send an email to TeachingFellow@thayer.org.

The costs associated with this program are partially funded by contributions from donors who value the diversity long associated with the Thayer community. If you would like to add your financial support to this effort, you can make your gift online. If you have questions about the program or would like to discuss your gift in more detail, please contact Director of Development Melissa Forger at mforger@thayer.org.

Resources for Families

Outreach Programs

Leadership

Connie Yepez

Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Director Connie Yepez joined the Thayer community in the summer of 2021 after five years at The Park School in Brookline, where she served as that school’s DEI director. During her tenure at Park, Yepez focused on aligning the school's policies and practices with its commitment to promote a sense of belonging for each and every one of its students. This work was an extension of similar efforts earlier in her career at Roxbury Preparatory Charter School, Noble and Greenough, Concord Academy, A Better Chance, and Groton School, from which she also graduated before earning her bachelor’s degree from Eckerd College. Yepez is committed to partnering with and supporting all members of the community in advancing Thayer Academy’s Strategic Plan for Racial Equity and Justice.