There are many opportunities for SPA students in all three divisions to engage with issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in age-appropriate ways.
Affinity Groups
SPA sponsors multiple Affinity Groups for students in all three divisions who share a common aspect of their identity; Affinity Groups are led by faculty advisors who guide students in discussion, community-building, and special programming. In the Middle and Upper Schools, multiple Special Interest Groups (SIGs) also bring together students with a wide range of identities and interests around an aspect of diversity, equity, and inclusion work.
In the Lower School, Common Ground Jr. is the Affinity Group for students of color. Begun in 2018, Common Ground Jr. meets biweekly after school with a faculty advisor. In 2020, the Lower School launched Intercultural Club Jr., a DEI program for all K-5 students.
In the Middle School, students may join a wider range of Affinity and/or Special Interest Groups, many of which are then continued in the Upper School. All MS groups are led by a faculty advisor. Groups include:
- MS Common Ground (for students of color)
- MS Mishchpach (for Jewish students)
- Muslim Student Group
- Herspace (female empowerment group)
- MS Black Males Group
- MS Intercultural Club (a SIG for all students regardless of identity)
The Upper School offers an exceptionally robust slate of Affinity Groups and Special Interest Groups. These groups are largely organized by students, who work with a faculty advisor on programming and events, creating safe spaces for discussion, and informing the larger SPA community about relevant issues. These student-led groups are responsible for planning a number of annual events, such as the Martin Luther King Day assembly, Cinco de Mayo and Dia de los Muertos celebrations, Indigenous Peoples' Day programming, and "Day After The Election" discussions. Groups include:
- Action for Gender Equality
- Asian Student Alliance
- Black & Brown Males
- Black and Brown Girls (BBG)
- Common Ground (for students of color of any gender or gender identity)
- Gender and Sexuality Acceptance Club
- HerSpace
- Intercultural Club
- Latinos Unidos
- Mishpacha (Jewish Student Affinity)
- Rainbow Connection
- Students for Social Justice
Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC)
Ever year, SPA sends students to participate in the annual Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC), an annual student conference held in conjunction with the National Association of Independent Schools' People of Color Conference. SDLC is a multiracial, multicultural gathering of student leaders in grades 9-12 from across the U.S. and abroad. SDLC focuses on self-reflecting, forming allies, and building community. Led by a diverse team of trained adult and peer facilitators, participating 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.
Read the December 2020 article in The Rubicon on how SDLC attendees brought their learning back to the SPA community.