In a world that continues to evolve, so too does Cascades Academy. We’ve welcomed new families, expanded our student body, and deepened our commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB). Now is the right time to pause, reflect, and reaffirm what DEIB looks like here, why it matters, and how we move forward together.
As a PK-12 school, this work takes many different forms depending on students’ ages and developmental stages. For some readers, the concepts and examples shared here may feel familiar; for others, they may feel new. That’s okay.
We invite you to read with curiosity. This is not a checklist, nor a final destination. It’s a journey of growth, reflection, and continuous learning. It’s about ensuring every student is intellectually challenged and values-affirmed. It’s about equipping young people to think critically, consider perspectives beyond their own, and navigate an increasingly interconnected world with empathy, courage, and a strong sense of self.
Cascades Academy seeks to create a safe, nurturing community where we honor our unique selves, embrace the diverse perspectives and backgrounds of others, and promote social responsibility both within the school and beyond.
ROOTED IN BELONGING. GROWING TOGETHER.
What does it mean to truly belong? Not just to be present, but to be valued, supported, and celebrated for who you are?
At Cascades Academy, we return to these questions often, not in response to trends or headlines, but as part of our enduring commitment to create a school community where every learner can thrive.
Belonging is the foundation of everything we do, and in 2023, we elevated its importance by including it in our values and redefining our “DEI” work to “DEIB.” This initialism can mean different things to different people. Here’s what it means at Cascades Academy:
• Diversity: welcoming, appreciating, and celebrating unique identities and lived experiences.
• Equity: empowering everyone to reach their full potential and succeed, regardless of where they started.
• Inclusion: providing access to opportunities, resources, and meaningful participation.
• Belonging: cultivating relationships and environments where people feel respected, accepted, and safe.
Our six core values — Foster Belonging, Empower Individuality, Ignite Curiosity, Learn by Doing, Embrace Challenge, and Share Joyfulness — go hand-in-hand with DEIB. They are not abstract ideals. Rather, they are the lens through which we teach, increase access, create opportunity, support one another, and grow together.
When students feel a deep sense of connection and safety, they are empowered to express their individuality and be their fullest selves. From that place of authenticity, they become more open to learning, more willing to take risks, more curious about the world around them, and more capable of experiencing and sharing real joy.
Here, belonging isn’t reserved for big moments and grand gestures. It’s nurtured in the everyday rhythms that define school life. A warm greeting at drop-off. A classroom discussion that welcomes diverse viewpoints. A book that reflects your identity or opens your eyes to another’s. A teacher who truly listens. A collaborative project that connects learning to real-world issues. A moment of encouragement that helps you take a leap.
These daily experiences are shaped by intentional choices: how we design our curriculum, how we support access through tuition assistance, how we make time for connection, and how we continue to invest in our faculty development and student support.
Belonging isn’t just a feeling — it’s built through bold commitments and collective actions. And when it’s present, everything else becomes possible.
To us, diversity is how we recognize the broad range of human experience, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, age, socio-economic status, and ability.
COMMITTEES
While DEIB work is everyone’s responsibility, we have two committees that lead our efforts.
Faculty: Led by our Director of Counseling & Student Life and comprising faculty from across divisions, this committee facilitates school-wide collaboration and ensures its work aligns with the school’s mission and strategic goals. The committee communicates progress to school leadership and the broader community while identifying opportunities to advance DEIB work across all facets of school life. Examples include improving supportive spaces; faculty, staff, student, and family onboarding; and support structures for neurodiverse learners.
Board of Trustees: Comprising trustees, senior administrative staff, and community leaders, this committee advises, supports, and strengthens a school-wide culture that actively promotes DEIB. It guides strategic initiatives, ensures proper resource allocation and increased access, and embeds DEIB principles more deeply into school governance.
BRANCHING OUT
Our DEIB efforts continue to branch out across every area of school life, grounded in shared values and expanding our impact. Here are just a few examples of how this work shows up across our community.
Curriculum & Programming
DEIB is woven throughout our academic and co-curricular programs, ensuring that students encounter diverse perspectives, inclusive materials, and real-world issues across all grade levels. These efforts help us achieve our mission to inspire lifelong learners who are socially responsible individuals ready for a diverse and changing world.
In 4th and 5th grade, students explore these essential questions: “What is a biography?” and “What defines a peaceful changemaker?” Through reading, writing, and research, they study individuals from historically underserved backgrounds who have made a lasting impact on the world.
This integrated unit supports both academic growth and social-emotional learning, as students examine stories of perseverance, resilience, and identity. By learning about people who challenged injustice and made meaningful contributions to their communities, students develop a deeper understanding of history, equity, and the importance of diverse perspectives. The unit culminates in a student-created “Changemaker Museum,” where they share their learning and celebrate the legacies of those who inspire positive change.
An affinity group was created to support students who identify as LGBTQ+ and those seeking a supportive community space. The group offers a safe, welcoming environment for all interested students to connect and build community.
This initiative was sparked by two Upper School students who approached our Director of Counseling & Student Life with a vision and proposal for an affinity space. With staff support, the group launched and is co-led by the student founders. By centering student voice and peer leadership, this group reflects our commitment to identityaffirming spaces within the school community.
Beginning with the Class of 2027, all Upper School students must demonstrate mastery of 28 core competencies identified by faculty as essential for our graduates. Two of the seven Mastery Transcript competency areas are Local & Global Citizenship and Social & Ethical Fluency
To meet these requirements, students engage deeply in areas like cultural competency, community relations, social justice, civic engagement, and social issue analysis. These experiences challenge students to examine diverse perspectives, understand systemic inequities, and take informed action in their communities. By continuously enhancing our academic framework, we ensure that every graduate is college- and career-ready, and also equipped to contribute meaningfully to a more just and inclusive world.
BRANCHING OUT
Faculty & Staff Development
Professional development remains a cornerstone of our progress. Cultivating an effective learning environment begins with educators who are continually growing in cultural competency, allyship, and inclusive teaching practices. Supporting faculty and staff is an investment in the adults who shape student experiences every day, from curriculum design to classroom dynamics.
We partnered with Allyship in Action, a collaborative of Central Oregon consultants, to present “Foundations of Equity and Belonging in PK-12 Education,” facilitated in two four-hour faculty/staff workshops: “Understanding the Past & Systems of the Present” and “Allyship in Action and Interrupting Oppression.”
This was a meaningful opportunity to reflect on our own identities and the identities of those we serve, participate in group exercises, gain tools to promote DEIB, and learn about our nation’s history, including recent events in Central Oregon. We further engaged with Allyship in Action to convert the workshops into self-paced modules for new employees.
We created a centralized Student Support Center to foster a more inclusive, responsive learning environment and better equip faculty and staff with the tools and collaboration needed to meet a wide range of student needs. This enhanced structure allows faculty to more effectively implement differentiated instructional strategies, both for students requiring additional support and those ready for greater academic challenge. The team includes the Director of Counseling & Student Life, a full-time Lower School Reading Specialist (previously part-time), a Learning Support Specialist for Middle and Upper School students, and three Lower School classroom aides. To advance this work further, the team created a more established and confidential system for students to ask for help, communicate concerns, and schedule time to meet with an adult.
Access & Opportunity
We are committed to lowering barriers and increasing access to a Cascades Academy education, starting with a more streamlined, welcoming admission process for prospective families. Once students are here, we work to ensure they thrive and participate in well-rounded aspects of school life, both academically and socially.
We started publishing an application fee waiver code directly on our website, allowing anyone to apply without needing to request a waiver. This small but impactful change helps ensure that the application process is welcoming and accessible to all families, regardless of financial circumstances.
We’ve strengthened our approach to tuition assistance to better support a broader range of families. We transitioned to a more intuitive and user-friendly tuition assistance application platform to ease the process for families navigating financial aid. Additionally, we expanded our tuition assistance program to include assistance for afterschool and aftercare programs, recognizing that wraparound support plays a critical role in family accessibility. Finally, we increased both the total dollars allocated for tuition assistance and the percentage of students receiving support, reinforcing our commitment to making a Cascades Academy education more inclusive and attainable. Increasing access enriches our entire community by bringing a wider diversity of lived experiences and perspectives.
Volleyball has long been a popular part of the Cascades Academy middle school experience, traditionally offered as a girls’ team sport. Wanting to expand opportunities so more students could participate, two middle schoolers advocated for an all-gender, all-skills volleyball open gym. Their initiative led to the creation of a new club where any student interested in the sport can scrimmage, build skills, and connect with peers.
BRANCHING OUT
Community Engagement & Partnership
Our work extends well beyond the classroom, involving meaningful partnerships with families, other mission-driven organizations, and community leaders. Through feedback, events, curricular and program relationships, and service learning, we create shared experiences that build bridges, expand perspectives, and reinforce our values in action.
Every other year, we administer the Tripod DEI Survey to students, faculty, staff, and parents. This comprehensive survey provides valuable insights into individual and collective experiences. The results help us celebrate what we’re doing well while also identifying areas where we can grow, allowing us to make data-informed decisions that strengthen our efforts across all levels of the school.
Cascades Academy’s annual Education Series is designed to bring our broader Central Oregon community together through shared learning experiences that cultivate connection, curiosity, and social responsibility. More than just informational events, the free series sparks meaningful dialogue, encourages critical thinking, and inspires positive change. Recent events included film screenings and panel discussions for “Blend: Being Black in Bend” and “Transhood,” which provided powerful entry points for conversations around race, gender, intersectionality, and belonging.
We also hosted a ParentEd Talk event, “Navigating Neurodiversity,” to foster greater understanding and support for neurodivergent learners and their parents. Led by our Learning Support Specialist and Director of Counseling & Student Life, the session invited Cascades Academy families to explore inclusive strategies and perspectives, with a focus on building on student strengths.
Service learning and impact projects are an integral part of the student experience from early childhood through 12th grade. Whether supporting local nonprofits, addressing environmental challenges, or contributing to global causes, students engage in meaningful work that benefits a wide range of people, places, and organizations. These experiences teach students that they are capable of making a difference — that their actions, no matter how small, can contribute to lasting change. Through this hands-on approach, students develop a strong sense of agency, empathy, and responsibility as active members of their communities. Some examples include:
• Holiday Hut: 4th graders host an annual holiday bazaar featuring handmade crafts and hot chocolate, using the profits to support chosen organizations like Toys for Tots, The Humane Society, and NeighborImpact.
• 8th Grade Projects: Many students choose to support causes through their 8th grade research project. This year, one student decided to bring Sparrow Clubs to our school, a nonprofit organization that empowers students to make a difference through sponsored community service benefiting children with serious medical needs. Their initiative inspired a schoolwide effort to support our “Sparrow,” Elias.
• Community 101: With support from the Oregon Community Foundation, sophomores identify social issues in our community, conduct research, fundraise, and award grant money to chosen organizations like Mountain Star Relief Nursery, KIDS Center, and Family Resource Center of Central Oregon.
BRANCHING OUT
Through our Traveling School program for students 2nd-12th, Cascades Academy partners with local, mission-driven organizations in a wide variety of destinations to deepen students’ understanding of place, culture, and community. Whether in Hopi and Diné Nations, Guatemala, Oahu, British Columbia, California, or right here in Oregon, these partnerships provide authentic, on-the-ground learning experiences that go beyond traditional tourism. By engaging directly with local leaders, educators, and changemakers, students gain a richer perspective on regional histories, cultural practices, and social and environmental issues. These experiences cultivate empathy, global awareness, and a deeper appreciation for diverse ways of life. They also allow students to learn from those stewarding their communities and to reflect on how they can become allies in stewardship with similar responsibility and commitment in their own places.
Cascades Academy is proud to support and partner with local organizations that enrich and strengthen our broader Central Oregon community. Each year, we sponsor values-aligned events: Central Oregon Community College’s Season of Nonviolence, the Latino Community Association’s annual luncheon, the Bend Film Festival, and, new this year, the Environmental Center’s Mountainfilm on Tour. These partnerships reflect our belief in the power of community collaboration and shared learning. By engaging with organizations that promote equity, sustainability, and cultural celebration, we extend our educational mission beyond our campus and contribute to a more connected, compassionate region.
REACHING HIGHER
Creating a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive community that fosters belonging is not a box that can be checked — it’s an ongoing process that calls for us to reach higher at individual, institutional, and community levels. It requires us to listen with openness, act with intention, and hold ourselves accountable to the values we uphold.
What does progress look like?
• Cascades Academy will be a more diverse and culturally responsive learning community.
• Our systems, practices, programs, and policies will promote more access and meaningful outcomes for all.
• Our students, families, faculty, and staff will have greater capacity to learn, develop, engage, and thrive.
This work is both aspirational and actionable. As we look to the future, we do so with purpose and optimism, knowing that DEIB is at the heart of a thriving community. We invite you to be part of this journey by sharing your experiences, offering ideas and feedback, attending events, or simply engaging in conversations with curiosity and compassion.
Together, we grow stronger.
Families are always welcome to connect with our Director of Counseling & Student Life, Gabe Bernstein, to learn more about what you read here, request resources, share feedback, process experiences, or explore strategies to support your child.
bernstein@cascadesacademy.org
OUR MISSION
Deliver meaningful, challenging, and experiential education to inspire lifelong learners who are socially responsible individuals ready for a diverse and changing world.
