Identity and Belonging

Statement of Inclusion

The Masters School prides itself on being a diverse, inclusive community that honors and understands the uniqueness of each individual, allowing their perspectives to be valued and their needs to be understood. Fostering and embracing diversity, we support all individuals by celebrating our similarities as well as our differences, including but not limited to age, ethnicity, gender, ability, race, religion, sexual orientation, family structure and socioeconomic status. Those who work, live and learn on our campus recognize that building an inclusive community is a rewarding and ongoing challenge.

The Masters School is committed to working collaboratively with students, faculty, staff and families by supporting its mission of being a community of diverse individuals who gather to learn, to strive, to dare, to do — to be a power for good in the world.

Programs and Events

List of 4 items.

Cultural Heritage Celebrations

Heritage celebrations are important opportunities for everyone to learn from members of our community about shared and individual cultural histories. These celebrations provide a teachable moment for us to recognize the complexities and richness of any cultural identity and the importance of understanding and appreciating these stories as part of the larger American narrative.
Saturday Summit on Social Justice

The Masters School co-hosted the first Saturday Summit on Social Justice (SSSJ) in fall 2017. The annual, day-long event, which most recently took place in November 2023, engages students, faculty and staff from Masters and nearby schools in workshops and discussions surrounding issues such as equity, inclusion, identity, racism and environmental justice.
Student Diversity Leadership Conference

Every year, a group of students attends the NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC). SDLC is a multiracial, multicultural gathering of student leaders from independent high schools across the U.S. and abroad. The conference focuses on self-reflecting, forming allies, and building community. Led by a diverse team of trained adult and peer facilitators, students develop cross-cultural communication skills, design effective strategies for social justice practice through dialogue and the arts, and learn the foundations of allyship and networking principles.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration

This celebration is a community-wide opportunity to discuss, teach about and reflect on the legacy of Dr. King’s life and work. Students and faculty explore and examine contemporary human issues through the lens of Dr. King’s work and ideas, broadly defined. It is a powerful day of thought, learning and inspiration.

Faculty and Staff Committee

The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee is a group of faculty and staff whose role is to help Masters in its development of programs, strategies and best practices within the realms of racial, social, sexual and gender diversity. The DEI Committee also serves as a space for members of the Masters community to provide suggestions and challenges to be addressed at the School. The ultimate goal of this committee is to encourage and support the continued growth of a positive campus culture so that all members of our community have a genuine sense of comfort and belonging.

Parent Association Committee

The Parent Association Equity and Inclusion Committee has hosted events such as a book discussion on "White Fragility" by Robin DiAngelo and student-hosted workshops for parents on topics such as microaggressions/implicit bias, privilege/socioeconomics, gender/sexuality and ability/disability. The committee also hosted discussions with guest speakers Alex Myers and Stacey Tisdale P’23.

Meet the Team

List of 4 members.

Esperanza Borrero

Dean for Inclusive Excellence

914-479-6666
Mariah Peña

Upper School English Teacher & Dean of the Class of 2027
Pilar Méndez-Cruz 12

Upper School English Teacher

914-479-6621
Marie-Louise Miller

Associate Dean for Purposeful Engagement, Office Manager | The Center for Inclusive Excellence

Student Clubs and Organizations

List of 12 items.

American Sign Language Club

The ASL Club seeks to increase awareness of the struggles that deaf and hard of hearing individuals experience. The club believes that learning and understanding basic sign language can bring about big change and expand minds.
Diversity Ambassadors

Diversity Ambassadors are the official peer educators who engage with the campus community to enhance our collective understanding of identity and cultural differences.
GALS

GALS is a gender equality and feminist club at The Masters School. GALS hosts regular lunch discussions about contemporary issues regarding gender inequality, especially those applicable to high school students, such as double standards in our culture between men and women, the definition of feminism, and the topics of sexism within the music industry. The club also hosts various movie-watching events. The club aims to inform the student body about current gender issues as well as create a safe space for students to share their opinions on such issues.
Gender and Sexuality Club

GSA is a student-run club, the mission of which is to promote LGBTQ+ equality within and outside of the Masters community.
International Club

The mission of the International Club is to bring together international students with each other while promoting their presence at The Masters School.
Jewish Culture Club

The mission of the JCC is to increase community awareness about antisemitism while also sharing and celebrating Jewish culture and traditions with the Masters community.
Latinos Unidos

The mission of Latinos Unidos is to promote and support the unity of the Latino community at Masters. The club embraces the various cultures of the Latin American world and discusses topics related to the Latinx experience. Members celebrate the spirit, diversity and richness of the Latin American cultural heritage and the sharing of common cross-cultural experiences with non-Latinos.
Mixed

The Mixed Club is centered on fostering an environment where multiracial students can develop a sense of community and have a space to share, discuss and celebrate their stories and experiences. During meetings they will create a safe space to talk about current events, share personal narratives, and host games and activities.
OYNX

OYNX serves as a Black empowerment club that encourages intricate conversations about themes and issues relevant to the Black community. ONYX will continue to emphasize the importance of intersectionality, discussing how gender, socioeconomic status, and other core identifiers affect the community. Membership is open to all students at The Masters School and is not restricted to any particular group of people.
Q+

Q+ is a student-run LGBTQ+ affinity group.
WOCE

WOCE is a women of color empowerment group for female students of color at Masters.
Young Activist Club

This student-run organization focuses on current political, social and environmental issues. Each year they base their activities and discussions on a given theme geared toward the entire upper school community, with an aim to better the world.