"In our commitment to diversity, we must show our students how to be colleagues and friends so they can act out of respect and love. We must lead them to distinguish right from wrong and then do what is right so they can be persuasive and courageous citizens...”
Excerpted from the Trinity Mission Statement
Excerpted from the Trinity Mission Statement
Our Vision
Guided by a desire to be in solidarity with each other, we aim to create a school in which all community members feel a genuine sense of belonging.
Trinity’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program is guided by a desire to be in solidarity: the idea that our experiences are inextricably interwoven, that what affects one affects all, and that we must stand with each other instead of just for each other. Essential to the idea of solidarity is the need to acknowledge and affirm the dignity of all people. We believe that solidarity can apply to all experiences in a community as diverse as ours.
Why is Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Important?
Trinity School believes that creating and supporting a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community is a moral imperative. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are blessings that benefit all of us by improving the quality of our educational program, for we know that multiple perspectives and experiences produce better results than a uniform or monolithic approach. Furthermore, as our students graduate and prepare to contribute to the world beyond Trinity, their ability to understand different cultures and perspectives is increasingly important.
What Does Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Mean at Trinity?
By diversity we mean the range of experiences for people of all races, genders, ethnicities, religions, learning abilities, physical abilities, sexual orientations, political perspectives, family compositions, socioeconomic statuses, backgrounds, and other characteristics, abilities and gifts that contribute to one’s self-understanding in the world.
Equity is about ensuring that every member of the community has what they need to thrive. Equality is about fairness, but equity is more nuanced and accounts for the fact that each student may need something a little different from the community. The goal of equity in a school environment is to create a space where all students are celebrated and have the opportunity to thrive.
Inclusion is about dignity. Our aim is to create an environment in which every student feels included at Trinity and no one feels excluded because of an aspect of their identity. If everyone feels included, then everyone has a legitimate opportunity to maximize the gift that is a Trinity education. Inclusion also means every student feels like Trinity is their school, not just one they are allowed to attend.
Our Approach
Driven by Trinity's commitment to academic rigor, our community works to create a diverse, equitable, and inclusive school culture where every community member feels a genuine sense of belonging. Trinity’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program affirms the identities of all students, believes in on-going professional development for our faculty and staff, offers an expanding and inclusive curriculum, and aims to meet the needs of our families.
In practice, our DEI work aims to enhance and support the classroom experience of all community members by offering opportunities for critical engagement around issues of identity and systems. Trinity works to create an inclusive environment, inside and outside of the classroom, that centers student voices and welcomes multiple perspectives and experiences. Our administrators, faculty, and staff aim to support our students as they explore issues of identity in developmentally appropriate ways across all divisions. At Trinity, we believe that DEI is part of a rigorous academic program that will prepare our students to interact with the world in meaningful ways.
Our Recent History
Over the past 50 years, equity and inclusion has been an aspirational goal of leading independent schools. As evidenced by our unique relationship with the Prep for Prep program and other educational access programs, Trinity has been at the forefront of that work. Over the past five years, half of our incoming kindergarten classes consisted of students of color (meaning Asian, Black, Latino/a/e/x, and multi-racial/ethnic), nearly 40% of new ninth graders were students of color, and the majority of our students are students of color. In addition, Trinity has allocated ample resources to support our equity and inclusion efforts, including our commitment to provide comprehensive, need-based financial aid to one-quarter of our Upper School students. Enjoying a strong relationship with ecumenical Episcopalianism since our inception, Trinity is known for its embrace of all faiths and traditions; our chapel program is a prime example of our community’s commitment to celebrating religious and cultural diversity. Trinity is not known for resting on past accomplishments. Our community is driven by an inexorable desire to grow and learn. This ethos compels us to do better.
Office of Equity and Inclusion
The Office of Equity and Inclusion consists of a Director, a senior administrator that reports directly to the Head of School and works with the Divisional Principals and the Assistant Head of School, and the Assistant to the Office.
The Equity and Inclusion Coordinators are faculty and staff members, who in addition to their full-time roles, support the efforts of the Office of Equity and Inclusion. Equity and Inclusion Coordinators serve as resources to students, faculty, staff, and families on matters relating to the DEI work of the school community.
Office of Equity & Inclusion Staff
Ramón Javier - Director of Equity and Inclusion
Alaina Alvarez- Assistant to the Office of Equity and Inclusion
Equity and Inclusion Coordinators
Lower School
Maya Grant - Grade Two Teacher
Patricia Mazuera-Johnson - Spanish Teacher
Samia Soodi - Grade Three Teacher
Middle School
Jennifer Tait - Seventh Grade Learning Specialist
Anti-Racism Task Force
Community Involvement
List of 4 items.
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Student Engagement
The goal of our student support structures is to appropriately affirm the multiple identities of our students and support their leadership development.- In the Classroom
- Classroom Collaboration (Lower School)
- Community Forum (Middle School)
- Sophomore Seminar - DEI Module (Upper School)
- Self, School, and Society (Upper School)
- Outside of the Classroom
- Affinity groups serving various identities (Middle School & Upper School)
- Affinity Group Leaders Council (US)
- Student Diversity Leadership Council (Middle School & Upper School)
- In the Classroom
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Family Engagement
Trinity aims to be in partnership with our parents/guardians and caregivers and offers opportunities for parent education and engagement throughout the school year through:- Parents’ Association Diversity Committee
- Family Affinity Groups
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Faculty & Staff Engagement
Trinity offers on-going professional development and an extensive affinity group program for all faculty and staff. Our goal is to support our faculty and staff as they engage more deeply with equity and inclusion issues and topics through:- Affinity Groups
- Trinity Professionals of Color
- Trinity White Anti-Racist Professionals
- Trinity LGBTQ Faculty and Staff Group
- On-going Divisional Professional Development Sessions
- New Faculty and Staff Professional Development
- Three sessions for all incoming faculty and staff that focus on identity development, race and racism, and implicit bias.
- Affinity Groups
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Board of Trustees Engagement
Led by Trustee Jeff Scruggs, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee of the Board works to support the DEI efforts of the school. Composed of Trustees and school administrators, the Committee meets several times a year to discuss the on-going DEI work of the school.
Located on the Upper West Side of New York City, Trinity School is a college preparatory, coeducational independent school for grades K-12. Since 1709, Trinity has provided a world-class education to its students with rigorous academics and outstanding programs in athletics, the arts, peer leadership, and global travel.