Past Events
As part of Windward's commitment to providing an open, nurturing campus for all students, parents, and faculty, the School regularly hosts events to showcase and celebrate our diverse community. Below you'll find examples of this ongoing work.
National Coming Out Day
On October 11, 1987, half a million people participated in the March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. This event was a catalyst for the inception of many special interest groups to advocate for rights for people in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. Since then, October 11 has evolved into National Coming Out Day, a nationally observed day to promote a safe world for LGBTQ+ individuals.
Windward is proud to support our LGBTQIA+ students as well as nurture students to grow in their allyship. There are currently three forums that directly advance this effort:
- SAGA Club (Sexuality and Gender Alliance) is open to all members of the community, including cisgender and straight allies to gather and actively support the LGBTQIA+ community. This club is a safe space to discuss LGBTQIA+ history, activism, and plan community events.
- SPECTRUM is a casual hang out space for students to gather and make connections among other students who identify within the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, nonbinary, or other identities within the LGBTQIA+ community.
- Affinity Groups Unlike clubs, affinity groups meet during a scheduled part of the school day. Students self-identify to join a group to explore identity issues related to their gender and sexuality.
Hispanic Heritage Month
From September 15-October 15, Windward celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month, a national celebration to honor the history, culture and influence of past and present generations whose ancestry is tied to Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. The School honored Hispanic and Latino/Latinx community members and the contributions of their ancestors through Windward's new community conversations series.
Special thanks also goes out to the Latino/Latinx Student affinity group and Windward’s amazing parent volunteers for hosting several lunchtime events throughout the month on the bridge.
Día de los Muertos
In honor of Día de los Muertos, Windward's Hispanic Heritage affinity group set up an altar by the Bright Commons area. Also featuring student-designed skulls created in Tony de los Reyes' Studio Art class, students and all members of the community were invited to bring photos of deceased loved ones (including pets!) to place on the altar, as well as reflections about their loved ones who have passed.
Tales at the Table
On October 18, we witnessed the return of a favorite community gathering—Tales at the Table. Part of our ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, Tales at the Table is an all-ages, all community family affair centered around community, acceptance, and shared fellowship.
The evening featured amazing personal stories from students, parents, alumni, and faculty—breaking bread and sharing stories with the intent of further fostering a sense of belonging among the community.
Following a delicious meal of assorted multi-cultural dishes courtesy of our CulinArt team, our speakers spoke freely of their own personal experiences with culture, identity, perception, and their place in the Windward community.
The keynote speaker for the event was also a Windward alumna—Rabbi Jaclyn Cohen of Temple Isaiah in West Los Angeles.
All Faculty and Staff In-Service
Throughout the year, the School holds numerous in-services dedicated to advancing and supporting faculty and staff in regards to their work in diversity, equity, and inclusivity. In November, we again hosted guest speaker Andre' Withers, Assistant Head of School at Madeira, who had previously served as the keynote speaker at our inaugural Tales at the Table event.
Andre' led faculty and staff through discussions on topics such as implicit bias, LGBTQ+ support, and how to create an inclusive community. Faculty and staff then broke into small groups to further discuss their role in creating an inclusive, welcoming space for all.
Leadership Conferences
In the Fall of 2022, Windward sent a cohort of representatives to the National Association of Independent Schools’ 2022 People of Color Conference (PoCC) and Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC), both of which took place in San Antonio, TX. These were the first large-scale, in-person conferences since the pandemic began three years ago.
PoCC and SDLC are separate conferences that are held simultaneously with a joint opening session and joint closing assembly. The conferences serve as opportunities for independent school community members to learn about the importance of equity and inclusion in school communities, explore and celebrate their own identities, and learn about diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging practices that could support their respective communities in creating and nurturing more welcoming and inclusive school environments. This year’s SDLC conference themed, We The People: Leveraging Our Community to Preserve Our Humanity, served as a multiracial, multicultural gathering of Upper School student leaders from across the U.S. focused on self-reflecting, forming allies, and building community.
Community Conversations
As a way of creating and cultivating a sense of belonging among all Windward community members, Windward’s DEIB team kicked off the 2022-23 school year with a five-part speaker series titled “Community Conversations.” These special sessions invited guests from all walks of life—Windward parents, faculty and staff, and community members—to speak candidly to Prep and Collegiate Division students on their own unique experiences and what it means to belong.
The series is part of the DEIB department’s mission to ensure that every community member on campus feels seen, heard, valued, and possesses a true sense of belonging. The conversation series is a way of nurturing a sense of belonging amongst students and others by listening to and learning from all perspectives in the community.