Celebrating Our Unique Selves

Mayfield initiatives support diversity, equity and inclusion as integral to our Holy Child education

We want to hear about issues we don’t understand from people who are different from us—because that’s what listening is about.

We want to be able to respectfully disagree with each other and not digress into hostile debate; to express opinions and not be judged.

We want to learn how to have uncomfortable conversations—and be open to learning from the discussion.

These are the voices of Mayfield students seeking to honor, understand and celebrate the unique gifts of all the individuals who make up our vibrant school community.

In the words of Niamh Diver ’19, “We need to listen to learn, not listen to respond.” As part of our mission to “meet the wants of the age,” encouraged by founder Cornelia Connelly, Mayfield is working to establish frameworks supporting diversity, equity and inclusion that are integral to the education of our students.

Inspired by our Holy Child philosophy, diversity education at Mayfield is rooted in our goals of justice and respect that call us to create “a learning climate based on trust and reverence for the dignity and uniqueness of each person.”

Head of School Kate Morin has laid the groundwork—in the classroom, with our clubs, and through dialogue—to guide our community to understand that full acceptance of diversity and inclusion is a major principle in our social justice teachings. Diversity education takes on how we communicate face-to-face, online and through our actions.

“I want to make Mayfield not just a place of inclusion and acceptance, but a school where we celebrate all the gifts that our students bring to us,” Mrs. Morin said. “We are a diverse and dynamic community and we need to intentionally ensure that we are creating a safe environment where everyone feels cherished and has the confidence to become the best versions of their true selves.”

“I want to make Mayfield not just a place of inclusion and acceptance, but a school where we celebrate all the gifts that our students bring to us.”

— KATE MORIN, HEAD OF SCHOOL

Creating a campus environment of respect

This commitment to a respectful campus environment extends deeper than a single lecture, assembly, or workshop. Mayfield launched several key initiatives during the 2018-19 school year that will be further developed in the future:

• Mrs. Morin named Sarah Briuer Boland as our first-ever Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator to ensure that mindful dialogue and ongoing education is embedded in Mayfield’s everyday practices.

• An 11-lesson sophomore curriculum centered on diversity and inclusion, taught by Ms. Briuer Boland, was introduced as part of our highly-touted Formation of Self health and wellness program.

• Mayfield students are encouraged to create and participate in a wide range of clubs and affinity groups that reflect their diverse interests, passions and cultures. Students launched 44 clubs this year, a record number.

• Mayfield’s Diversity Council, working under the guidance of Ms. Briuer Boland and Mrs. Morin, is seeking to strengthen its position as a leadership organization that fosters awareness of and respect for all voices on campus. At a thought-provoking assembly this year council leaders guided a reflection on the many ways students understand themselves and the communities to which they belong.

Members of the Diversity Council with Sarah Briuer Boland, Mayfield’s new Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator

• Three faculty members—Dr. Nalei Guzman, Kenneth Fisher and Ms. Briuer Boland—accompanied Mrs. Morin and a delegation of six students to a transformative leadership development conference in Tennessee. The event brought together more than 6,400 educators and students under the theme of “Equitable Schools and Inclusive Communities: Harmony, Discord and the Notes in Between.” Plans are underway to select six student participants to attend the Student Diversity Leadership Conference in Seattle next school year.

Mayfield’s demographic statistics offer an important opportunity for awareness and support of diversity education.

For the 2019-20 school year 59% of incoming freshmen identify as Latina, Asian or multiracial. In contrast to the 31% total enrollment of students of color in the nation’s 1,229 independent schools, 55% of all Mayfield girls identify as students of color.

Our students come from 65 feeder schools. More than one third receive financial aid. Although we are 72% Catholic, we are blessed by the faith traditions of students who are Muslim, Jewish, Episcopal, Hindu, Armenian Orthodox and Lutheran, among other religions.

“We want all at Mayfield to be equally comfortable sharing their gifts, their perspectives and just being themselves,” Ms. Briuer Boland said. “Students do not have to leave pieces of themselves at home. This is what educating the whole child is all about.”

Developing key classroom curriculum

A key part of Ms. Briuer Boland’s role involved presenting 11 lessons to sophomores to raise students’ awareness and give them tools to talk about diversity issues in a safe space without judgment. Students opened the year by identifying their core values. Each class created a canvas expressing both their individual values and the shared values of the class. By the end of the session, students were surrounded by words including joy, love, community, respect, tolerance, openmindedness.

“Even though we valued different things, we could see what connected us,” she said. “We all agreed that we value one another.”

She introduced classroom guidelines for communication that stressed the importance of listening without passing judgment. Specifically, students were encouraged to assume the best intention of the other person; to question their own motives; and to refrain from personal attacks.

They practiced mindfulness, including meditation and breathing techniques, to help stay calm when feelings intensify.

“We can build our stamina for tolerating discomfort when we do not agree with each other,” Ms. Briuer Boland said. “Navigating disagreements is a necessary skill our world needs.”

They learned about the concept of dehumanization to better understand the historical roots of oppression and that our Catholic social justice teachings call on us to respect the dignity of every human being.

Another class took up the topic of implicit bias—the unconscious and universal experience of judging others.

“Every single person carries implicit biases. This doesn’t make us bad or wrong or bigoted,” Ms. Briuer Boland tells students. “Once we are aware that every human brain makes unconscious judgments about others, we can then work to challenge those subconscious attitudes.”

As part of this class students were introduced to Harvard University’s Project Implicit, which offers free online tools to assess unconscious biases.

Ms. Briuer Boland also gave students practice in countering social media hate. Hatred is often expressed in dehumanizing ways, by referring to people as animals or by denying others’ inherent worth and dignity.

“How many of you have encountered online hate?” Ms. Briuer Boland asked the girls. Every hand in the room shot up. She explained that one way to counter the hate is to respectfully respond online with truth, accuracy and statements of affirmation and support for the person under attack.

The students then wrote responses to hateful messages provoked by news stories:

“We all need to stand together for humanity any way we can…”

“Love will always prevail over hate, always keep your mind open.”

“Your story is valid.”

Diversity Council encourages campus discussion on eight “identifiers”

Sofia Avila ’20 speaks at the diversity assembly about the ways Mayfield fosters respect and belonging.

Diversity is not just about different races. It also incorporates seven other “identifiers” that contribute to the whole of a person: socio-economic status, age, religion, ability, family structure, sexuality and gender. During a thought-provoking assembly, members of the Diversity Council, some of whom attended the national conference, shared their understanding of how they personally identify and then asked their classmates to reflect on the multiple facets of their own identities.

Niamh told her classmates that she identifies most with her gender.

“As a woman I know that there are things that I have to do to be as safe as and as respected as my male counterparts,” she said. “But that being said I know I will always have a community of women who stand behind me and uplift me. Through these other women I have learned to be proud to be a girl, even if it means I have to work harder to achieve my goals.”

Steffi Zavaleta ’20 said she identifies by her race and ethnicity.

“Being of Mexican heritage has shaped me into the woman I am today. It taught me what important values come with it, such as family and religion,” she said. “My core identifier is like an atom that bonds with other atoms like my gender, and creates who I am.”

In preparation for the assembly the council surveyed students about their experiences involving core identifiers. About two-thirds of the student body commented on questions and topics including:

• When asked if they had been bullied at some point in their lives, 192 students replied yes. Nearly 40% said they were bullied because of their race or ethnicity, followed by their gender at 37% and ability at 31%.

• The vast majority of students, 81%, said they feel comfortable talking to friends about their sexual orientation.

• When it comes to family structure, 28% said theirs is more complicated than their peers.

• When asked whether their socioeconomic status determines “who I hang out with,” 62% of students said they disagree or strongly disagree that it matters, with 19% neutral on the issue, and 19% in agreement or strong agreement.

Members of the Diversity Council initiated the survey so that the entire student body understood that diversity does not apply only to people of color— diversity means all of us, all our opinions and the different ways we see ourselves.

“It’s important for us to know it’s OK to lean into discomfort in conversations,” said Alyssa Romo ’19. “But we have to provide a safe place to share opinions and encourage everyone to say what they need to say in respectful terms. We have got to learn from different perspectives.”

Mrs. Morin brought context to the survey results, saying she is proud that Mayfield students are learning to understand their differences, even though it can sometimes be difficult or feel scary.

“Especially during these times, we need to understand that we don’t have to agree with people in order to respect them,” she said. “By respecting someone you disagree with and shining back love, you not only grow, but you have the opportunity to help that person to grow.”

To a round of applause, Mrs. Morin added, “You are the models that adults should be looking at right now.”

Be yourself only make that self all that God wants it to be.

— CORNELIA CONNELLY