Diversity and Belonging - The Lawrenceville School

Student Life

students laughing — Diversity and Belonging

The Lawrenceville School honors individuality within a context of belonging and community wellbeing.

Cultural Practice and Exploration

Learning is enriched when it happens among students with different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We are proud of our diverse and welcoming community and we mindfully support each student's identity.

Lawrenceville affirms identities of all kinds through cultural celebrations and observances, affinity groups, and support for global citizenship.

Our students are encouraged to bring their entire self to all experiences and to be open to the cultures and traditions of others. We joyfully engage in cultural activities with our whole community and reach out to neighboring and global communities to offer service and build connections.

Lawrenceville has dozens of student-run clubs and organizations centered around culture and identity. From the African Student Union to Women@Lawrenceville, every student can find a group to celebrate their affinity or even start their own.

Throughout the year, programming is offered to explore cultural events and observances. Whether sharing holiday traditions, learning about history through a new lens, or sharing food and entertainment, students come together to enrich each other's lives and broaden their understanding of the world.

Our Harkness Travel Program offers students the opportunity to immerse themselves directly in communities around the world. Trips are designed to develop students into global citizens by addressing academics, culture, outdoor exploration, and service. Approaching world travel with a Harkness approach prepares students to be adaptable, considerate tourists who benefit holistically from their encounters with different communities.

Religious Practice

Religious Life at Lawrenceville is visible and vibrant, designed so that students can deepen their own faith and develop understanding and respect for the traditions, practices, and beliefs of others. In addition to our on-campus programming, there are places of worship in the immediate vicinity of the School that serve an incredibly diverse range of spiritualities and denominations.

Religious Life Council

The Religious Life Council is a flourishing student group that aims to cultivate campus spiritual life and celebrate religious diversity. Meeting regularly for soulful exchange around a wide range of themes, they collaborate with Religious Life Leaders (who are also Lawrenceville faculty members) to bring meaningful experiences to our campus community.

Religious Life Leaders

Members of our faculty lead religious groups and support our student-led Religious Life Council. All are welcome to explore, practice, and learn in the Buddhist, Catholic, Protestant, Hindu, Jewish, and Muslim faith traditions, with additional opportunities available through connections with outside mentors.

Buddhism

Christianity

Sunday worship includes both Catholic Mass and Ecumenical Worship Service. The School chaplain leads the Ecumenical Service, while priests appointed by the Diocese of Trenton lead Mass in the Edith Memorial Chapel on Lawrenceville’s campus. Faculty advisors connect students with local parishes for sacraments and observation of Holy Days of obligation.

Each Thursday, we celebrate The Great Thanksgiving as guided by the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer. The service includes a reading from Hebrew Scripture and a gospel lesson followed by the sharing of the bread and wine, and a time of quiet. Many students cherish this weekly time to be in the chapel, to be peaceful in the middle of the week, and to celebrate the Eucharist.

Hallelujah! is an interdenominational worship experience that draws deeply from the richness and diversity of the African American church. Hallelujah! offers a sacred space of worship where students can sing, clap, pray, and hear God's word in an experience that feeds both the spirit and the intellect.

Hinduism

Interfaith Practice

Hosted in Edith Memorial Chapel, our Chapel Talks program offers a welcoming place to worship, special music and celebration, speakers and performances, reflection and prayer. Chapel Talks brings the community together at the intersections of faith and justice, identity and social location, and class and power in Harkness-style explorations of various topics.

Islam

Our Muslim Student Organization (MSO) meets weekly for a halal lunch and Friday prayers. During Ramadan, students who are fasting gather in the dining hall for an iftar provided by the dining staff. Meals are halal and a bagged breakfast is provided for students to take back to their rooms. Additionally, the school hosts a weekly catered iftar from local restaurants. Muslim students typically attend Eid prayers at one of the local mosques. Additionally, the MSO organizes events that are open to the entire community where they share important aspects of their religious and cultural traditions. These have included an Eid brunch, film screenings and discussion, and social events with other religious groups on campus.

Judaism

Our robust Jewish Student Organization and School Rabbi offer Shabbat dinners throughout the year and activities like Challah baking and trips to religiously and culturally meaningful sites.

The School Rabbi provides for observance of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, a centerpiece of which is family-style, home-cooked Kosher meals. Students build their own unique Sukkah and come together to celebrate Simchat Torah with our campus Torah. For Chanukah, faculty and students gather each night to light the Menorah and share the prayers, songs, and traditions of the holiday. During Passover observance, the School Rabbi hosts Seders and Kosher for Passover meals are made available to students.

Office of the Dean of Community and Belonging

The Office of the Dean of Community and Belonging is dedicated to a powerful vision: designing for community and belonging. Developing community is an everyday practice — a co-created, ongoing process that takes intentionality, commitment, and genuine care. As an institution, the Office creates space and implement strategies to ensure community members feel recognized, appreciated, listened to, and integrated.

Areas of Focus

The Office of the Dean of Community and Belonging is committed to developing a sense of belonging in partnership with all community members, and in coordination with senior leadership.

Shared Language and Values

At Lawrenceville, we understand community not as a static concept, but as an active, daily practice of connection and care. We are committed to co-creating belonging with every community member, intentionally designing spaces and strategies where each individual feels truly seen, valued, and integrated. Our approach goes beyond mere inclusion — we seek to cultivate an environment where every person can flourish and thrive.

Community Practices

Community Practices are the heartbeat of how we learn, grow, and support one another — a comprehensive approach that transforms how we interact, learn, and care for our shared community and environment. Central to our Community Practices is Community Discourse, which we define as a way of engaging that prioritizes careful, deep listening, spirited and respectful debate, thoughtful and nuanced deliberation, and moments of quiet reflection. This approach isn't just about exchanging ideas; it's about creating meaningful bonds that connect us more deeply as a learning community.

Joyful Gatherings

We are committed to creating spaces of connection and celebration, with students and faculty partnering to host events like Hispanic Heritage Month and Lunar New Year. OMA works closely with student affinity groups and cultural clubs to plan these celebrations, while also creating opportunities and providing support for meetings, other events, and coalition building. The School also offers many religious life groups spanning the Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim faiths.

Student Engagement

Our student government includes a Diversity Council (DivCo) — a vibrant, student-led group committed to the vision of Lawrenceville as a space where everyone experiences a sense of belonging. Led by the Student Council Diversity Representative, DivCo meets regularly with OMA to plan school-wide events, including Lunch and Dialogue, International Night, and Community Day. DivCo members regularly engage in Circle Practice and other activities to discuss the lived experiences at Lawrenceville and the world beyond its gates and to develop their own capacities as leaders on campus. DivCo has an elected leadership body and its meetings are open to all Lawrenceville students.