Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Justice

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Westridge was built on a mission to provide gender equity in education. Today, we draw upon the spirit of our founder Mary Lowther Ranney to expand diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) on our campus.

These essential components of the Westridge program are imperative to the wellness of students in underrepresented populations and central to academic excellence for all Westridge students.

We are actively working to:
  • Identify and eliminate biases and gaps in our programs and policies.
  • Make the programmatic changes and do the community-wide education and growth necessary to make Westridge a school where all students, families, and faculty and staff feel they belong and are affirmed, valued, and supported.
  • Increase diversity of all kinds, especially racial and socioeconomic, because we know that all students benefit social-emotionally and academically from learning in a more diverse environment.
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Read Our Updates

Together, these updates provide a comprehensive overview of our work in diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice at Westridge, with more to come. Click below to download and read them.

DEIJ is one of four focus areas of our strategic plan published in January 2020, prioritizing resources of time and funding to make substantive and meaningful change at our school. Importantly, events in spring 2020 energized many people across the generations of Westridge to join us in working for change.

Recent conversations with Black members of the Westridge community have caused the School to reflect on who we have been and who we want to be moving forward. Additionally, we know our families have been impacted by anti-Asian prejudice during the COVID-19 pandemic.

We recognize that students of color, including Black and African American, Latinx, Multiracial, and Asian students, are having different experiences at Westridge. Students deserve to be in a learning environment where racism is explicitly addressed, and white students must understand their role in challenging racism and how they can be advocates for change.

Recent News

10th Annual Westridge Voices in Literature Conference: 'Lift Every Voice and Sing'

Kudos to the Westridge English Department and the students who planned and participated in the 10th Annual Voices in Literature Conference, "Lift Every Voice and Sing." Held on Wednesday, the conference featured student works in various mediums including song, dance, written word, and various visual art media. 

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Westridge Students Raise Awareness About Supporting the Disabled Community

On Monday, the Upper School Student Voices group collaborated with the Allies for the Disabled Community Affinity to host an activity raising awareness about the disabled community. “At a school where academic excellence is emphasized, it is important to recognize different academic or life journeys that others endure,” said Bella H. ’23, one of the affinity’s founders.

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Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month in the Curriculum

We asked our teachers how they have recognized the culture, history, and contributions of Hispanic Americans during Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month in their classrooms. Classes in Lower and Middle School from arts to technology have linked curriculum to the observance of the month, September 15-October 15, and to the celebration of Día de los Muertos, which takes place November 1-2.

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