About
Belonging & Connection
The Office of Belonging and Connection works to ensure that every member of the Shipley community feels seen, valued, and supported. Guided by the Shipley Framework for Well-Being, we cultivate a culture where individuals can be their authentic selves while forming meaningful connections with others. Through education, engagement, and collaboration, this work is embedded into every aspect of school life—strengthening our shared commitment to personal growth, collective well-being, inclusivity, and compassionate participation in the world.
Community Commitment
We are committed to cultivating an environment where all members of the Shipley community are engaged, feel respected and valued, grow as individuals, strive for excellence, and have the opportunity to do their best work. We honor and value all differences and are committed to being a safe and inclusive environment for all people.
Our Goals
Foster a Diverse Community
Foster a fully diverse and inclusive community.
Ensure Equitable Experiences
Ensure an equitable experience for all members of the community.
Provide Education
Create immediate and longer-term School-wide initiatives regarding belonging and connection at Shipley. Prepare students to be leaders in a global society. Commit to sustaining a vibrant, inclusive, and caring multicultural community.
Engage All Members of the Community
Involve all community voices from students, colleagues, families, and alumni. Ensure that cultural awareness and understanding are reflected in many areas of school life.
Be Accountable
Regularly review plan strategies and tactics to ensure the effectiveness of these initiatives both in the near and long-term.
Foster a fully diverse and inclusive community.
Ensure Equitable Experiences
Ensure an equitable experience for all members of the community.
Provide Education
Create immediate and longer-term School-wide initiatives regarding belonging and connection at Shipley. Prepare students to be leaders in a global society. Commit to sustaining a vibrant, inclusive, and caring multicultural community.
Engage All Members of the Community
Involve all community voices from students, colleagues, families, and alumni. Ensure that cultural awareness and understanding are reflected in many areas of school life.
Be Accountable
Regularly review plan strategies and tactics to ensure the effectiveness of these initiatives both in the near and long-term.
Reaffirming Our Core Values
In 2025, the Board of Trustees convened a Task Force to provide clarity and alignment on our shared values. The resulting statement below rearticulates Shipley’s enduring commitment to belonging, inclusion, and educational excellence.
At Shipley, we also practice grace for the doing. We recognize that learning is a human process—imperfect, ongoing, and deeply meaningful. We make space for missteps, extend patience, and lift each other up as we grow. We will not let fear of failure block our path to growth. And we take seriously the covenant of community: to acknowledge missteps, heal, and engage one another with care.
While the world around Shipley remains challenging and many schools are navigating complex cultural dynamics, we continue to strive for a community where our students feel safe, supported, and empowered to be their best selves—whether in academics, the arts, or athletics. This past year, in response to community feedback and a desire for clarity and alignment, the Board convened a Task Force to better understand the student experience and reaffirm our core values as a school. Following discussion and collaboration with administrators and community stakeholders, the Board fully supports the following statement and thanks the Task Force in its work by clarifying Shipley’s commitment to belonging, inclusion, and educational excellence:
At Shipley, we practice courage for the deed—the unwavering resolve to do what is right, even when it’s hard. We are committed to preparing students to become compassionate, thoughtful participants in the world. This commitment is grounded in a deep and enduring respect for the dignity and humanity of every person in our community—a respect that fosters belonging and affirms that everyone has a valued place here. Belonging is fundamental to the educational excellence we pursue—equipping students with the knowledge to form their own opinions and engage respectfully with diverse perspectives. This means challenging them to think critically and learn deeply, building the skills to analyze, synthesize, and apply their learning to real-world problems—preparing them for lifelong learning.
At Shipley, we practice courage for the deed—the unwavering resolve to do what is right, even when it’s hard. We are committed to preparing students to become compassionate, thoughtful participants in the world. This commitment is grounded in a deep and enduring respect for the dignity and humanity of every person in our community—a respect that fosters belonging and affirms that everyone has a valued place here. Belonging is fundamental to the educational excellence we pursue—equipping students with the knowledge to form their own opinions and engage respectfully with diverse perspectives. This means challenging them to think critically and learn deeply, building the skills to analyze, synthesize, and apply their learning to real-world problems—preparing them for lifelong learning.
We are building and sustaining a community where inclusivity is not optional—it is essential. At Shipley, every individual is valued for who they are. We do not ask children—or anyone in our community—to change who they are in order to belong. Instead, we ask that they bring their full, authentic selves. In return, we commit to nurturing the courage to know oneself, the curiosity to understand others, and the empathy to engage across differences with open hearts and minds.
At Shipley, we also practice grace for the doing. We recognize that learning is a human process—imperfect, ongoing, and deeply meaningful. We make space for missteps, extend patience, and lift each other up as we grow. We will not let fear of failure block our path to growth. And we take seriously the covenant of community: to acknowledge missteps, heal, and engage one another with care.
At Shipley, we choose courage. We choose grace. We choose each other.
Meet the Team
List of 7 members.
-
View Shipley's DEI Strategic Plan
Diversity, equity, and inclusion work constantly evolves, never ends, and impacts every member of a community. Shipley’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategic Plan is both an immediate and multi-year effort.
Learn more about Shipley's DEI Strategic Plan.
Our Work
We engage students, colleagues, and families in an array of learning experiences and community-building opportunities. Here are a few of the programs that the School offers and participates in:
List of 4 items.
-
Our Work: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategic Plan
GOAL 1: DIVERSE COMMUNITY
Foster a fully diverse and inclusive community.
GOAL 2: EDUCATION
Create immediate and longer-term School-wide initiatives regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion at Shipley. Prepare students to be leaders in a global society. Commit to sustaining a vibrant, inclusive, and caring multicultural community.
GOAL 3: EQUITABLE EXPERIENCES
Ensure an equitable experience for all members of the community.
GOAL 4: ENGAGEMENT
Involve all community voices from students, colleagues, families, and alumni. Ensure that cultural awareness and understanding are reflected in many areas of school life.
GOAL 5: ACCOUNTABILITY
Regularly review Plan strategies and tactics to ensure the effectiveness of these initiatives in both the near- and long-term.
Read More -
Our Work: Building Cultural Awareness & Empathy
Students and colleagues participate in school-wide Belonging & Connection programming aimed at building cultural awareness and celebration in our community throughout the year, including:- Black History Month
- Hispanic Heritage Month
- Jewish American Heritage Month
- Lunar New Year
- Pride Week
- Recognition of various religious and cultural days of importance, including Diwali, Ramadan, Christmas, Hannukkah, Easter, Passover, Eid, and more.
-
Our Work: Professional Development
Conferences
Shipley colleagues receive generous support from the School in their quest to learn more about the complex issues of multiculturalism and social justice. Shipley colleagues regularly attend and present at local and national conferences supporting efforts in Belonging & Connection.Regular Professional Development SessionsShipley teachers engage in regular professional development sessions to encourage growth and learning around academic achievement, individual well-being, and collective well-being.
Teaching Resource Center
The Shipley Teaching Resource Center is a place for teachers to pursue professional growth opportunities, working one-on-one or in collaborative settings to learn from each other and share areas of expertise. In particular, colleagues attend and present regular sessions on topics related to belonging & connection. -
Our Work: Affinity Groups & Heritage Clubs
Leadership/Governance
Board of Trustees Diversity, Equity and Inclusion CommitteeThe Board of Trustees Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee serves as the primary provider of forward-looking DEI policy and strategy, and mechanisms for administrative accountability.Affinity Spaces & Heritage Clubs
Affinity Spaces are created by colleagues and students at Shipley to allow connection through shared identities. These spaces allow for individuals to feel safe and sometimes heal with each other. Heritage Clubs explore one's identity through cultural interconnectedness to allow for the advancement and advocacy for one's heritage. Heritage clubs celebrate diversity through events.Lower School Affinity Groups and Heritage Clubs
Overview: Affinity groups in the Lower School serve to create a sense of belonging and affirm students' identities through gatherings and cultural celebrations.
Black Heritage Association (BHA)
Focuses on building cultural identity and celebrations of blackness.
Middle Eastern North African (MENA)
Focuses on developing a positive racial identity and a community of shared understanding among students with MENA identities.
Asian Student Alliance
Seeks to create an inclusive school environment by strengthening our impact on the greater student body through advocacy and awareness of the AAPI experience and by sponsoring a variety of activities that showcase unique and diverse cultures.Students of Jewish Heritage (SOJH) (All grades)
Focuses on celebrating and supporting Jewish students. Through social gatherings, celebrations of holidays, and culture sharing, students connect and celebrate their shared Jewish identities.Middle School Affinity Groups and Heritage Clubs
Overview: In the Middle School, we create safe cultural, racial, and heritage identity with gatherings, conversations, and celebrations. The Middle School supports programming with the Upper School.
Asian Student Alliance
Seeks to create an inclusive school environment by strengthening our impact on the greater student body through advocacy and awareness of the AAPI experience and by sponsoring a variety of activities that showcase Asia’s unique and diverse cultures.
Black Heritage Association (BHA)
Focused on building cultural identity and celebrations of blackness. BHA supports and uplifts Black Student Union programs.
Jewish Heritage Association
A heritage association that focuses on cultural understanding and celebrates Jewish identity and history.
Middle Eastern North African (MENA)
Focus on developing a positive racial identity and a community of shared understanding among students with MENA identities. Supports the Upper School MENA with programming.
Spectrum
A space to gather and celebrate LGBTQ+ identities. The group supports programming with Upper School Spectrum.Upper School Affinity Groups and Heritage Clubs
Overview: Affinity groups and heritage clubs in the Upper School are responsible for youth-led programming and celebrations focused on identity,advocacy, and advancement. Their goal is to promote interconnectedness and understanding amongst the students.
African American Male Association
A well-rounded outlook on what it means to be an African American Male at Shipley. Focused on supporting one another in cultural, social, and educational development.
Asian Student Alliance
A pan-Asian affinity space that serves as a space for advocacy, promoting cultural understanding, and celebrations.
Black Student Union
Focused on promoting the well-being and cultural interests of Black students as well as educating and advocating around systemic issues in society.
Belonging & Connection Student Association
Creating spaces for the Shipley community to advance identities through cultural interconnectedness. Promoting cultural understanding and advancements through actionable goals.
Jewish Heritage Association
A heritage association that focuses on cultural understanding, celebration, and advocacy of Jewish identity and history.
Middle Eastern North African (MENA)
Developing healthy cultural and racial identities. Celebrating and promoting positive understandings of culture, history, and advancement among MENA students.
Spectrum
A space for LGBTQ+ students and allies to gather to celebrate their identities, discuss current events, and plan campus programming.Colleague Affinity Groups and Heritage Clubs
Overview: Spaces created for colleagues with shared identities to come together to celebrate and build community with each other. This creates affirming and positive environments at Shipley.
LGBTQ+ Colleagues
The LGBTQ+ Colleague Affinity Group provides a space for colleagues to gather in community and discuss LGBTQ+ events and news.
Jewish Heritage
The Jewish Colleague Affinity Group provides a space for colleagues to share company, celebration, and support (and snacks) while navigating being Jewish in the Shipley community and beyond.
Colleagues of Color
Composed of BIPOC teaching faculty and operational colleagues. Focused on monthly meetings to create community as well as to connect, support, and network within the school.
Belonging & Connection News
-
Carlotta Walls LaNier Makes Big Impact During Visit to Shipley
Read MoreTo celebrate Black History Month, Shipley was proud to host Carlotta Walls LaNier, the youngest member of the Little Rock Nine, on Monday, February 3. Carlotta spoke to students and faculty about her story - for the right of every child to learn and grow without discrimination. She also spent time with the Black Student Union. -
Meet Deauntra Thompson-Smith, Assistant Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Deauntra Thompson-Smith has been Shipley’s Assistant Director of DEI since January 2024. He holds a master’s degree in secondary education from Neumann University, as well as a bachelor’s degree in history from Delaware State University.Read More -
Creating a Culture of Kindness in Middle School
“Shipley is really special because three kids can go to a teacher and say, ‘I think it would be cool to do this.’ And the teachers and administrators support them all the way through.” Learn more about the Middle School's culture of kindness and November's Kindness Month events.Read More -
Shipley Recognizes AAPI Heritage Month
Shipley’s Asian Student Alliance (ASA), led by co-presidents Amber Feng ’24 and Anne Gu ’25, recognized Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month with programming for Upper School students, including a presentation about AAPI Heritage Month by members of the ASA, and one by guest speaker Elvis Zhang ’17 about his life as an entrepreneur and Asian American.Read More -
Shipley Celebrates Lunar New Year with Musical Performance
Read MoreView a performance of the Lunar New Year Overture by Shipley's Chamber Orchestra, in an arrangement by Richard Liu ’25 and Bambi Tang ’23, and conducted by Mr. Jhonnatan Mata. The performance was organized by the Asian Student Alliance and the Chamber Orchestra in celebration of Lantern Festival, or the end of Lunar New Year. -
Shipley's Black History Month Celebrations
Black History Month was celebrated throughout the month of February as divisions and as a school. Take a look at the many activities that happened on campus.Read More -
Celebrating Black Voices During Black History Month
Shipley's Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion asked members of the Shipley community who identify as Black or African American what their race/ethnicity means to them, why Black History Month is important, and what are their hopes for the future.Read More -
Kathy Guy Dawson ’78: Creating a Safe Space for Shipley’s LGBTQ+ Community
Kathy Guy Dawson ’78, an Alumni Council member and former Trustee, became an inaugural co-chair of LGBTQ+ Alumni Association in 2021. She was the first black student in her class and the first member of her family to attend private school. Learn more about this Shipley Changemaker and how she's supporting the LGBTQ+ community at Shipley.Read More -
Rik Morris ’80: Giving Forward to Shipley’s LGBTQ+ Community
Rik Morris ’80 is a strong example of the Shipley spirit and the School’s commitment to supporting everyone in the community. “I don’t believe in giving back,” says the 2020 Alumni Service Award recipient. “I believe in giving forward.” Following his retirement as a Trustee a few years ago, Morris is serving as inaugural co-chair of the newly formed Shipley LGBTQ+ Alumni Association,Read More -
Peyton Turner '22 Named Main Line Student of the Week
Shipley Junior Peyton Turner has been named Main Line Student of the Week for the week of June 6.Read More -
Hakiem Coles ’07: Raising Funds for Shipley’s Black Students and Teachers
“Shipley was life-changing for me. It opened up my world," says alumnus Hakiem Coles ’07. His belief in the power of education to positively impact the lives of other black students inspired him to join Shipley's Black Alumni Association and establish a named endowed fund, the Black Alumni Association Fund, to support the curricular and cultural needs of Shipley’s Black students and teachers.Read More -
Centering BIPOC Voices at Shipley: What Being Tibetan Means to Me
Tenzin Kyizom is one of our Middle School proctors. She shares about her Tibetan identity and what it means to her, exploring what it was like to be an Asian minority during elementary and middle school, celebrating favorite Tibetan customs, and examining some triumphs and painful moments she has experienced as an immigrant to the U.S.Read More -
Identity Interview: Wendy Eiteljorg ’86 Explains Her Purple Hair
Exploring and understanding identity is an important part of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion work at Shipley. There are many parts of our identity that we are born into, but others that we choose. Middle School DEI Coordinator and English teacher Lila Corgan interviewed Wendy Eiteljorg ’86, Director of Curricular Innovation and Learning Design about her purple hair.Read More -
Friendly Debates: Should Dr. Seuss Books Be Banned?
In many schools and libraries, especially during Read Across America Week this year, the tension between “canceling” Dr. Seuss and celebrating his iconic books as emblematic to American childhood ran hot. Shipley eighth graders took a close look at this issue in conjunction with their English unit on censorship in Fahrenheit 451. They were asked: Do you think Dr. Seuss’ book should be banned from classrooms and libraries?Read More -
Joy Styles ’92: Building Bridges through Positive Change
What do recording artists and civil servants have in common? “They bring people together,” says Joy Styles ’92, Nashville's District 32 Councilwoman and one of the first Black female country artists to ever sign a record deal. “The time that I spent at Shipley prepared me to be a trailblazer for my community and society as a whole," she says. Learn more about Shipley Changemaker Joy Styles '92.Read More -
Shipley Black Alumni Association Mentoring Program
Shipley alumnus Hakiem Coles '07 reflects on his participation in the Shipley Black Alumni Association's new mentoring program. "I think it is very important for students to be able to reach out to alumni with similar experiences of their own, and the mentorship program has provided a direct line of communication and support for these students."Read More -
Learning Compassionate Participation: A Fundraiser Born from a 6th Grade English Reading Assignment
Inspired by their reading of A Long Walk to Water in English class, sixth graders Lilla Tsvetkov ’27 and Adam Hornberger ’27 have organized a fundraiser aiming to raise $5,000 towards the cost of building a well with the organization, Water for South Sudan. "We aim to inspire our community that no challenge is too big to be resolved or fixed, as long as you try to make a difference, big or small," they say.Read More -
Q&A with Upper School English Teacher John Hornung: Making Rural Classrooms More LGBTQ Friendly with Hope in a Box
Upper School English teacher John Hornung believes that literature can make a positive impact in the world by helping people develop empathy for others. He teamed up with Hope in a Box, an organization dedicated to making rural classrooms more LGBTQ+ friendly, sharing a study guide for the Laramie Project, which he teaches in his Modern American Drama English elective.Read More -
Linda Powell Solomon ’77: Supporting Minority Students in Science
Read MoreFor the past 25 years, Linda Powell Solomon ’77 has supported the efforts of minority students working toward a bachelor’s degree in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics through the National Science Foundation’s Greater Philadelphia Region Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation program. Learn more about Shipley Changemaker Linda Powell Solomon ’77. -
Q&A with Middle School Science Teacher Ace Schwarz
Get to know Ace Schwarz, Shipley's newest Middle School science teacher. In addition to being a true lifelong learner and avid reader who loves science, Mx. Schwarz (pronounced "mix") is passionate about their LGBTQ+ advocacy work. Learn more about Ace and how they hope make a positive impact at Shipley.Read More
1/20
The Shipley School is a private, coeducational day school for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students, located in Bryn Mawr, PA. Through our commitment to educational excellence, we develop within each student a love of learning and a desire for compassionate participation in the world.
