Community & Campus Life
PROGRAMS / Community Engagement
At Grace, we believe that a strong community is forged at the intersection of intellectual excellence and ethical virtue. We recognize that a student’s ability to achieve their highest academic potential is inextricably linked to their sense of safety and belonging; put quite simply, experiencing belonging is a prerequisite to attaining academic excellence.
Our approach to community engagement extends beyond the classroom, seeking to graduate citizens who are equipped to do good in an interconnected world. We instill in our students a profound understanding of how their actions, both individual and collective, impact the communities in which they live. Through a curriculum that integrates social responsibility, environmental stewardship, health and safety, and respect for all, we challenge our students to make choices that honor the dignity of humanity and the health of our planet.
Engagement here means more than participation; it is a call to serve the common good with a spirit of rigorous humility, kindness, and courage.
Established in 2018, the Office of Community Engagement supports equity, inclusion, and belonging efforts, social emotional learning, service learning and community partnerships, and sustainability. We see these as the pillars of school culture that make our strong academics possible. The office oversees programming, professional development, and strategic planning that bring inclusive practices to life across the school, while creating opportunities and events that reflect our shared commitments to social justice and promoting habits of ethical virtue. We serve every part of the Grace community, from students and families, to faculty, staff, and alumni alike—because this work only succeeds when everyone is part of it. In everything we do, we’re working toward the same goal: a school of broad welcome and deep belonging.
“At Grace, community isn’t an abstract concept, it’s something you can feel. Everyone understands that making our school a safe, healthy, and inclusive one isn’t one person’s responsibility. It’s all of ours.”
Jean-Robert André
Director of Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Program
Since 1993, the MLK Peace program has been a beloved all-school honoring the Civil Rights Movement and its lasting legacies. Comprised of a Chapel service, keynote speakers, and student-led workshops and performances, the week overflows with division-specific programming underscoring the importance of educating for social justice, and empowering students to become the change they wish to see.
Food and Justice Night
An annual event exploring the intersections of social justice, sustainability, and culture, through an evening of learning and sharing stories over food. Student and parent affinity and alliance groups provide potluck-style meals and share stories of culture alongside a representative from local organizations.
LGBTQ+ Visibility Photography Exhibit
A biennial gallery showcasing community-submitted photographs of LGBTQ+ loved ones alongside the students, families, alumni, and employees who posed with them. The exhibit is an antidote to the invisibility and marginalization of the queer community due to bullying, homophobia, transphobia, and erasure by centering the celebration of love.
The community itself drives our work, and our alliance and affinity groups help us further our goals of equity, inclusion, and belonging.
At Grace, we understand affinity spaces to support and affirm students who share an identity. Their members can speak from the “I” perspective about their experiences, recognizing that shared identities do not mean identical stories. These include:
Our alliance spaces are spaces open to everyone in the community, centered around education and support for a specific cause. These include:
These efforts are mirrored by our parent and family groups, including our Sustainability Parent Group, Families of Color (FOC), the Jewish Parents Alliance Group (JPAG), and the Parent Gender/Sexuality Alliance (PGSA).
We are intentional about ensuring these groups do not work in silos, but are supported by the school to share their voice, enriching our inclusion efforts across the community.
