Affinity and Alliance Groups

All children at Grace have opportunities to join discussion groups that help support, educate, and empower students while they navigate their unique identities. In affinity group spaces, those that share an identity, such as race, religion or gender, come together with an advisor to discuss the rewards and challenges they share. In alliance groups, students of all identities who share a common goal meet to learn and to think about how they might further educate their community about building a safe, inclusive and equitable school.

Lower School Student Groups

List of 2 items.

  • CASA Jr.

    CASA (Culturally Aware Student Association) Jr. is a program for students in Grades 2-4 that provides a welcoming and supportive space for students to explore family, heritage and identity. Students are encouraged to share family traditions, explore different cultures and learn skills that support healthy and inclusive communities.

  • Banana Splits

    Banana Splits is a program for students who have experienced parental divorce or death. Established in 1978 by social worker Liz McGonagle, the group’s purpose is to to provide a safe place to express feelings, to normalize feelings through sharing, to train children in problem solving and coping skills, and to increase self esteem through mutual help. Led by a school counselor.

Middle School Student Groups

List of 5 items.

  • C.H.A.N.G.E.

    The middle school Gender and Sexuality Alliance, CHANGE (Challenging Hate And Norms of Gender Expression), is a group for students that provides support, discussion, community awareness, and education about the LGBTQ+ community. Students organize community events and discuss ways to increase awareness among their peers.

  • CASA

    CASA (Culturally Aware Students Association) is our longest running student diversity group. CASA brings students together to hear speakers and discuss topics that explore the broad range of diverse identities in our community and beyond.

  • DIASPORA

    This club will focus on connecting BIPOC students from both the Middle and High School Divisions. Members of D.I.A.S.P.O.R.A will be expected to guide the Middle School students through their Grace experience and provide advice, both academically and socially. This club will serve as a safe space for students to learn how to navigate racial situations and explore cultural differences and similarities.

  • MS SWAG (White Identity Discussion Group)

    The student white anti racism group (SWAG) is a space for white students to explore their own racial identity as well as the practice needed to develop anti racism skills.

  • Students of Color Affinity Group

    The students of color affinity space is designed to offer opportunities for social-emotional and positive racial identity development.

High School Student Groups

List of 16 items.

  • ¡Hola!

    ¡Hola! is an affinity and support space for students who identify as Latinx, Afro-Latinx or Hispanic. Students in this group explore their diverse identities, share experiences, and learn about opportunities to participate in events that address issues affecting Latinx and Hispanic communities in the U.S. and abroad.

  • Amazing GRACE Affinity Group

    Amazing GRACE (Grounded in Race, Ancestry, Culture and Ethnicity) is an affinity space for students who identify within the Black diaspora to connect. Discussions center on issues affecting Black people and reflections on experiences at a predominantly white school.  There is also time to laugh with one another and form lasting bonds.

  • BICONS+

    The Bicons+ affinity space is a place for those who identify as Bi/Pan/Queer/Questioning—basically if you find yourself somewhere in the middle of the Kinsey scale! This will be a space for us to discuss experiences specific to these identities, such as bi-erasure, hyper sexualization, and other stigmas. This club will be grounded in storytelling, group conversations, and some reading/discussion materials.

  • DIASPORA

    This club will focus on connecting BIPOC students from both the Middle and High School Divisions. Members of D.I.A.S.P.O.R.A will be expected to guide the Middle School students through their Grace experience and provide advice, both academically and socially. This club will serve as a safe space for students to learn how to navigate racial situations and explore cultural differences and similarities.

  • Gender Equity Club

    This club will give ALL students a space to discuss gender inequity, regardless of gender expression. Projects include remote menstrual product drives, calls to congress members for reproductive rights, observing the centennial of the 19th Amendment, discussions of the feminist movement’s history of racial inequity, and more.

  • Learning Disability Group

    This is an affinity group for students with learning disabilities or learning differences created by students with LD (learning disability/difference). It is a place where students can be open about their experiences, give tips and tricks to other students that could help, and expand knowledge of other LDs that they hadn’t fully understood before. In addition, this affinity group is a key factor in building a plan to help the school become inclusive for different types of learners.

  • Let's Dish

    Let’s Dish: Girls of Color” is an affinity space for female-identifying girls of color (BIWOC) in which we talk about issues such as colorism, racism, beauty standards, and overall anything that affects us personally and societally.

  • Mental Health Support Group

    Teen Wellness Affinity Group is an affinity space and support group for students who are seeking mental health support and/or are interested in learning more about mental health. This affinity group discusses different mental health topics and supports each other. All students are welcome to join this space, whether personally impacted by mental illness and seeking support for yourself, for someone else, or just to listen to others and learn more about mental health.

  • Multi(G)racial

    Multi(G)racial is an affinity and support space for students who identify as biracial and/or multiracial. Students explore the unique experiences and challenges multiracial identities engender.

  • P.S. to Private

    P.S. to Private is an affinity space for anyone who has attended a public middle school at some point in their lives, with particular consideration for TEAK Fellows, Prep, Oliver, and ABC alumni. This group seeks to have open discussions about the differences between the public and private school experience with the hope that these discussions will aid in creating a more comfortable environment for incoming public school students.

  • Spectrum

    The gender and sexuality alliance group focuses on offering support for students who identify as LGBTQ+, and opportunities for allyship.  Students participate in national events such as GLSEN’s Day of Silence, and help build community awareness. This group plans our annual Pride Chapel in June.

  • Strands

    Hair is a form of expression. It can be a symbol of cultural pride or show a person's uniqueness. STRANDS is a space where we can embrace our hair. We will learn how to take care of our hair, learn about the history behind hairstyles, and be honest about our struggles with our hair. All hair types are welcome!

  • Student Diversity Council

    The Student Diversity Council is made up of representatives from our various affinity and alliance groups at the high school. This team focuses on community awareness and education by organizing events for the campus and supporting affinity group projects. The group also sends representatives to our adult Diversity Council meetings.

  • SWAG (White Identity Discussion Group)

    This open discussion group explores white identity and investigates how students who identify as white can be a part of antiracist movements. Students who join the group will read articles, share videos, and discuss the history of white identity.

  • Triple A (Asian American Affinity Group)

    The Asian American Affinity group is a support and discussion space for students who identify as Asian. Group discussions can include a wide array of topics such as fighting stereotypes and discrimination, representation in the media, and the diversity among Asian identities.

  • Yeladim shel Chesed

    Yeladim Shel Chesed (Jewish People of Grace) is the affinity group at Grace for students and teachers who identify as Jewish or who would like to learn more about the Jewish religion.
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Grace Church School is a co-educational independent school in downtown Manhattan, New York City providing instruction for nearly 800 students in Junior Kindergarten through Grade 12.