Diversity | The Lawrenceville School | Private Boarding & Day School

Diversity and Inclusion at Lawrenceville

At Lawrenceville, we strive to create an inclusive environment where students from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to learn from, with, and about one another. Lawrentians are part of a community where beliefs, be they cultural, ethnic, or religious, are both supported and challenged.

Lawrenceville is committed to the belief that all students’ critical thinking skills are enhanced in an environment that is racially, ethnically, culturally, religiously, and socio-economically diverse. Within the context of a traditional American boarding school setting, we are committed to providing an academic curriculum that reflects a global perspective.

Diversity permeates every aspect of a student’s experience at Lawrenceville. In the classroom, in co-curricular activities, and through our residential life program, students are provided the opportunity to explore and appreciate the perspectives and identities of others as well as their own. We want each Lawrenceville graduate to walk across the stage equipped to answer the following questions:

Who am I?

Who are They?

Who are We?

Programs and Initiatives

Student Affinity Groups and Clubs

Lawrenceville offers a wide range of support and education for students, parents, faculty, and staff around issues of diversity, inclusion, and equity. The Office of Multicultural Affairs supports a dozen or more student affinity groups including the Alliance of Black Cultures, Latinos Unidos, Asian Student Organization, Gender and Sexuality Alliance, Jewish Students Organization, and the Muslim Student Organization.

Diversity Council

The Diversity Council (DivCo) strives to create an inclusive environment at Lawrenceville by providing students with opportunities to engage in conversations about social issues, identity, current events and culture. By engaging with these issues, Lawrentians can work towards the goal of inspiring the best in each to seek the best for all. Student leaders selected for DivCo serve as discussion facilitators at weekly Lunch and Dialogues, in addition to planning annual events each term like Community Potluck, International Night and Community Day.

Religious Life Council

The Religious Life Council (RLC) aims to nurture spiritual and religious life at Lawrenceville by providing visibility for its strength and diversity, and to cultivate understanding and respect among religious traditions. The RLC accomplishes this through regular meetings and lively exchanges, the very successful “What Matters To Me and Why” program, field trips, and co-sponsorships with other clubs and councils. The RLC works closely with the Diversity Council to design Explorations, has regular conversations with the Gay Straight Alliance The RLC is convened by the School Chaplain and has student representatives from all the religious traditions and members-at-large. All students are welcome.

Lunch and Dialogue

Lunch and Dialogue is a weekly opportunities for students to watch a film or documentary about a relevant current event or social issue and then have a discussion facilitated by student leaders in the Diversity Council. Lunch and Dialogue aims to build upon the culture of Harkness though learning about others beyond the academic classroom. Recent topics have included climate change, Islamophobia, social media, race, women’s reproductive rights and LGBTQ youth.

Community Day

Community Day is an annual schoolwide gathering where students and faculty come together to discuss important social issues that affect their lives both inside and outside Lawrenceville. Each year, Community Day has a theme and Lawrentians hear from keynote speakers, and then participate in workshops generated by students, faculty, parents and community based organizations. Past themes have included Reflections on Representation, Fulfilling the Promises of the American Dream, Global Citizenship and Healthy Relationships.

Multicultural Parent Committee

The Multicultural Parent Committee (MCPC) is one of the subsets of Parents at Lawrenceville (P@L). The MCPC sponsors several events each year to inform, educate and promote dialogue among parents on issues of diversity, equity and inclusion. All parents at Lawrenceville are welcomed and encouraged to participate in these important discussions.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee at Lawrenceville (DEI)

The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee at Lawrenceville is composed of faculty and staff whose charge is to take a broad view of DEI issues at Lawrenceville, and to generate conversations, questions and initiatives that will continue to move our community forward toward our goal: a diverse community where all members feel an equitable sense of belonging. The DEI Committee is committed to the following values:

Diversity: Building a community at Lawrenceville that includes the presence and participation of people with many varieties of identities, perspectives, experiences, and ideas.
Equity: Ensuring fair treatment, equality of opportunity, and equality of access to information, resources, and outcomes for all students, faculty, and staff.
Inclusion: Creating a School culture in which every community member feels welcomed, respected, and valued.

Contact information

List of 5 members.

Rick Holifield

Dean of Diversity Inclusion and Community Engagement
Samuel Washington '81 H'04 P'14 '17

Director of Multicultural Affairs; Senior Associate Dean of Admission
Sue Anne Steffey Morrow H'12

Director of Spiritual and Religious Life; Religion Teacher; Chaplain
Alison Easterling P'20

Associate Dean of Faculty; History Teacher; Co-Chair of Task Force on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusi
S.A. Tripp Welborne, III H'58 P'21

Dean of Athletics and Co-Curricular Education; Co-Chair of Task Force on Diversity, Equity, and Incl

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