Our Commitment to Belonging

Primary School Example:

During their "All About Me" project, preschoolers create life-sized self-portraits. After tracing their bodies, students paint them with primary colors. They use mirrors to check out their own features, add yarn for hair and colored paper for eye color, and "dress" their bodies with fabric squares. Throughout this project, students learn about their bodies, expressing their individuality and learning about their peers.

Lower School Example:

During a Lower School assembly – "Using Our Voice to Tell Our Stories" – students were encouraged to think about what makes them unique and how their individual stories create Langey’s shared story. Students across grades shared some of their hopes and dreams and listened to the book, I Am Every Good Thing. Following the assembly, students created their own "I Am" statements as they designed a square featuring one unique aspect of themselves. These "I Am" squares were combined on a bulletin board to create our Lower School story.

Middle School Example: 

Eighth-grade students engage in a memoir unit, during which they read a mentor text focused on a person, character, or multiple people. Students then write a collection of 3-10 memoir “chapters” in a form of their choice (i.e., vignette, graphic novel, traditional). These chapters tell a personal story of the student’s experience within the context of a collective event or social issue. 

We intentionally celebrate and acknowledge the cultural observations and holidays that are important to our community members. Families are encouraged to help us develop the list of acknowledgements and to participate in assemblies or classroom activities. 

Example: Peace and Light Assembly

In December, the entire school gathers for an assembly about peace and light. Families, students, and employees share family traditions and/or the ways that they celebrate the winter holiday season. The focus is on Langley’s core values and how each of us has the ability to promote peace and light throughout our communities. 

Example: Langley Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15 to October 15, students enjoy interactive music and dance performances by local groups who share Hispanic songs, rhythms, and historical background. Throughout the month during Spanish classes, students discuss and pay tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society.

Example: Parents Help Langley Learn About Diwali 

Middle School students gathered in advisory to watch a video about the holiday while enjoying a special treat of samosas. The advisory time was followed by a division assembly where Langley parents shared how their families celebrate Diwali and the significance of the Festival of Lights. Each student was given a diya, a small lamp used for decoration and worship, and stencils and chalk to practice rangoli making, a traditional art form of India used to decorate walls, courtyards, and other surfaces. 

Affinity and alliance groups are just some of the many optional student groups available at Langley. With the goal of ensuring a sense of support and belonging for all students, affinity and alliance groups are an optional opportunity for interested students to gather approximately monthly for lunchtime conversation and community building. All interested students may attend all groups.

Students of Color Affinity Group (Grades 5-6 and Grades 7-8)

This group centers the voices of students who identify as students of color, including children from Black/African American, Asian American, Middle-Eastern American, American Indian/Native American, Latino/Hispanic, and multiracial backgrounds.

Plus Alliance Group (Grades 7-8)

The Plus Alliance Group is for students who want to act as allies to create a supportive environment for students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ+), including – but not limited to – students who themselves may identify as LGBTQ+.

Langley faculty, staff, and students have attended the following conferences:

• Administrators of Color in Independent Schools Conference
• INDEX DEI Conference
• St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes Middle School Diversity Conference
• St. Andrews Middle School Diversity Conference
• Multilingual Learners in the Reading Workshop
• Supporting Students with Dyslexia in Reading Workshop and Across the School Day
• Columbia University Teachers College Center for Educational Equity: Equity Institute

The school follows these practices in order to recruit, support, and retain faculty and staff of color:

• Anti-bias training to support inclusive hiring practices 
• Gathering of feedback and input from faculty, staff, students, and families 
• Broadening the search for candidates beyond conventional sources 
• Faculty/Staff of Color Affinity Group: This group is for faculty and staff who identify as a person of color, including those from Black/African American, Asian American, Middle-Eastern American, American Indian/Native American, Latino/Hispanic, and multiracial backgrounds.