Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

Westside School is committed to promoting inclusiveness, diversity, and cultural competence in its education, employment practices, school community, and governance.

We view inclusiveness as a fundamental value, diversity as a key element, and cultural competence as a vital skill necessary to prepare students to participate in and contribute to a global society. At Westside, diversity broadly encompasses differences in the attributes of individuals, families, and communities.

This is our collective work. We might approach this call to action in different ways as parents, teachers, and leaders, but it is the work of the whole community. As leaders of the school, the Board of Trustees, the Westside Family Association, and the school's administrative and educational leadership teams are committed to advancing our efforts to actively create equitable, inclusive, and anti-racist systems and institutions.

 

 

Commitment from Westside Leadership

Facts & Figures for 2023-2024 

  • 36.4% Students of Color
  • Languages Spoken: 25+

Amharic, Cambodian, Catalan, Dutch, English, Farsi, French, German, Hindi, Hungarian, Igbo, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Norwegian, Oriya, Oromo, Polish, Punjabi, Russian, Samoan, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Vietnamese.

 

Chay Dixon Headshot

Chay Dixon

She/They
Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
 

Chay is committed to creating safe and equitable classroom environments. She is in alignment with Westside that the concept of Belonging is critical to diversity and equity work in schools. They are excited to partner with us to help all of our students, families, and staff feel a greater sense of Belonging and to ensure that our children see themselves in our curriculum, materials, and in our faculty and staff. She looks forward to bringing a critical thinking, data-driven approach to support the school in our DEIB efforts.

 

 

Partnering with the Community


 

2024-2025 Equity & Inclusion Speaker Series

Westside School is excited to partner with local independent schools to bring the Equity & Inclusion Speaker Series to our communities. The purpose of this series is to raise awareness, challenge ourselves, deepen understanding, and empower our communities to advance their efforts to actively recreate systems into equitable, inclusive, and antiracist institutions.

Find out more and RSVP

 

 

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The Westside School Community acknowledges that we are on the ancestral lands of the Duwamish People. We make this acknowledgment with gratitude and a commitment to justice for the land itself, and the Duwamish People, past, present, and future. We endeavor to join them in honoring and protecting the Water, Earth, Air, and Spirit of our shared home.