Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
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Mariam Al-Rawi '21, What is beauty?
Eliza Heflin '24, Sisters
Amelia Reddy '22, Flight of Change
“When a child walks in the room, your child or anybody else’s child, do your eyes light up?
That’s what they’re looking for.”
- Toni Morrison
For a girl to thrive academically, she must be situated within a learning community wherein she feels seen, valued, challenged, and affirmed. Otherwise, nothing else that happens within that community matters.
Morrison’s words are a cogent reminder that Harpeth Hall’s equity and inclusion work is difficult and exciting and necessary to ensure each girl is met where she is. At Harpeth Hall, we strive to be a place where girls belong. Having educated girls and young women for more than 155 years, we unequivocally know that when girls feel accepted for who they are, they come to school each day ready to engage. The latter is not possible without the former.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is conceptualized in many different ways. At Harpeth Hall, we see diversity as asking "Who is in the room?" while equity requires us to provide equal access to opportunities, programs, and resources so that each community member feels included and an internal sense of belonging.
Harpeth Hall’s DEIB work is best characterized as data-informed initiatives and programming designed to honor the many social and cultural identifiers represented within our community and advance our community members’ cross-cultural understandings.
Diverse school experiences enrich individuals with deeper understandings of self and the world. Our students engage in curricula that reflect themselves and others, and they develop the global perspectives essential to make meaningful contributions to their communities and the world.
At Harpeth Hall, we embrace each cultural identifier. We believe in the dignity, power, and potential of every individual. We intentionally affirm each girl’s unique identity. We are wholeheartedly committed to educate girls and young women to think critically, lead confidently, and live honorably.
Jasmin Hopkins
Director of Equity and Inclusion
The office of equity and inclusion welcomes and affirms all individuals. It is a space where our students and our families find themselves represented and reflected, where they are deeply considered, and treated with respect and dignity.
Strategic Design
In Harpeth Hall's strategic design, we elevate three strategic priorities — educate boldly, cultivate confidence, and amplify purpose. In line with these priorities, our school aspires to bring together a student and faculty community reflective of a diversifying Nashville. We nurture a diverse and supportive learning community where all are known, affirmed, and intellectually inspired. We provide opportunities for each girl to discover the power of her voice and the importance of attentive listening. We work to ensure our students and faculty have the skills to lead open dialogues about the issues confronting our community and our nation. We know it is imperative to prepare students to succeed in an increasingly multicultural society. We are pleased to share our equity and inclusion priorities.
