Belonging at SEA

List of 6 items.

• Community Traditions & Cultural Events

  Celebrations that Reflect Our Values and Deepen Belonging
  
  At SEA, cultural programming is a living expression of our Core Values, a way we honor the richness of our community, and a practice that brings students and families into joyful, meaningful connection with the world around them.
  
  Throughout the year, we host intentional, community-wide celebrations that highlight diverse histories, identities, and voices. These events reflect our belief that belonging is strengthened through shared learning, visible representation, and collective joy.
  
  Signature community traditions include:
  
  

  • Hispanic Heritage Month
  • Lunar New Year and AAPI Cultural Month Celebration
  • Black History Month
  • Earth Day and Environmental Stewardship Week

  In addition to these anchor events, SEA thoughtfully curates our Chapel Speaker series to reflect a wide range of cultural, religious, and civic perspectives. These talks help students see themselves—and others—reflected in leadership, faith, service, and storytelling.
  
  These moments are not performative—they are practiced with intention, framed by learning, and celebrated in community.
  
  To see these celebrations in action, visit SEA’s Instagram and Facebook pages.

• Core Commitments & Strategic Identity

  How Belonging Shapes Strategy, Structures, and Daily Life at SEA

  
  The leading-edge work of belonging at St. Edmund’s Academy is not an isolated initiative, an ambiguous acronym, or a compliance-based mandate.  It is embedded in the very DNA of the school.
  
  SEA’s approach is intentionally structured to build a community where all students feel seen, heard, and prepared to lead. Guided by a Board-approved commitment to cultivate a culture of belonging that is mission-aligned, developmentally appropriate, legally sound, and rooted in Core Values, SEA’s institutional work is visible in every layer of school life—from classroom curriculum to strategic governance.
  
  Highlights of Our Institutional Commitments:

  Self-Awareness and Organizational Learning
  
  

  • Actively listening to the experiences of alumni, students, and families—and translating those stories into structural change

  • Learning from our NAIS Assessment of Inclusivity and Multiculturalism and preparing for its next administration to measure progress
  • Holding space for faculty, staff, and students to reflect through reading circles, structured dialogue, and inclusive affinity spaces such as the Black Student Union and Asian American Alliance

   

  Representation and Professional Accountability
  

  • Recruiting and retaining faculty, staff, and trustees who reflect the diversity of our student body
  • Providing ongoing conversations on anti-racism, bias response, and inclusive pedagogy
  • Supporting employees through inclusive and affirming affinity groups and cross-role collaboration

   

  Curricular and Co-Curricular Inclusion
  

  • Embedding the Pollyanna Racial Literacy Curriculum at every grade level
  • Integrating diverse perspectives across literature, history, and social studies
  • Hosting civic and religious leaders for chapel talks and conversation
  • Connecting students with regional and global thought leaders through cross-cultural events and virtual meetings
  • Engaging students in ethical discussions around social justice, sustainability, and global citizenship as a United Nations Global Goals School

   

  Measurement and Oversight
  

  • Using data—including NAIS survey tools—to track the growth of inclusive practice and student belonging
  • Maintaining a publicly available Bias Incident Protocol to support transparency and accountability
  • Updating the Board of Trustees on belonging and inclusion efforts at every meeting

   

  Transparency and Public Engagement
  

  • Showcasing our commitments on the SEA website and social media
  • Sharing our growth areas, strategic objectives, and institutional values with the full SEA community

   

  At SEA, these priorities are foundational to it. By embedding belonging in policy, leadership, and culture, we ensure that every child is known, every adult is accountable, and every community member helps shape a future built on empathy, understanding, and excellence.

• Faculty & Staff Growth and Learning

  Professional Development Grounded in Purpose and Practice
  
  SEA’s faculty and staff are school culture-shapers, relationship-builders, and leaders of belonging. Our commitment to professional growth ensures that every adult on campus is equipped to model inclusion, support diverse learners capable of achieving our curricular objectives, and navigate complexity with skill and care.
  
  SEA faculty regularly participate in high-impact professional development opportunities focused on racial literacy, identity development, and cultural competence. These experiences are both external and internal—ensuring continuous growth and reflection across our community of adults.
  
  Professional learning highlights include:
  

  • Ongoing attendance at the NAIS People of Color Conference (since 2018)
  • Training in Racial Identity Development and facilitation tools with the Race Institute for K–12 Educators
  • Climate assessment and leadership workshops led by Trina Gary (Brown-Gary & Associates)
  • Workshops on human rights, genocide education, and intercultural communication
  • Collaborations with thought leaders such as Allison Park (Blink Consulting) and Anupama Jain (Inclusant)

  These learning experiences are part of how we prepare every adult at SEA to lead with empathy, engage across lines of difference, and uphold the Core Values that define our community.

• Family & Community Partnerships

  Respectful Dialogue, Shared Learning, and Thoughtful Growth
  
  At St. Edmund’s Academy, we believe that education is most powerful when it is shared—when students, families, educators, and community partners come together around a common set of values and a shared sense of purpose. From the sanctuary of our weekly Chapel Program to hands-on projects that span Pittsburgh and the globe, we intentionally build structures that connect home, school, and world.
  
  Shared Values, Shared Voice: The Chapel Program and Wolf Pup Pack Meetings
  
  As a matter of tradition our school community pauses to gather for a Core Values centered Chapel Program (Grades 1–8) or Wolf Pup Pack Meeting (Preschool–Kindergarten). These gatherings are intentional, reflective experiences that affirm our Core Values and strengthen the bonds among students, families, and faculty.
  
  Each Chapel Program begins with a guiding question, a single prompt that invites reflection across age, background, and perspective. Questions like “What does it mean to take responsibility for my own conduct?” or “Can we be friends if I don’t like the things you like?” are simple enough for a child to explore, yet meaningful enough to carry into dinner table conversations at home. Over the course of two academic cycles, students encounter a full arc of developmentally aligned questions that span honesty, respect, service, empathy, courage, and community.
  
  These guiding questions create a natural bridge between school and home, offering families a shared language and rhythm for exploring important ideas together. Weekly speakers—from civic leaders and alumni to clergy, artists, and students themselves—bring the questions to life with real-world stories. Music selections and commendations round out each Chapel, reinforcing a sense of belonging and aspiration rooted in our community’s shared hopes.
  
  Learning Side by Side: The Wolf Pup Pack
  
  In the Early Childhood Division, our youngest learners gather for Wolf Pup Pack Meetings, where the same values of inclusion, kindness, and reflection are introduced in age-appropriate ways. These joyful, curiosity-filled sessions introduce themes that will carry throughout a child’s educational journey at SEA and invite families into that journey from the very beginning.
  
  From the Neighborhood to the World: Signature Experiences for Global Goals
  
  St. Edmund’s Academy is proud to be Pittsburgh’s first UN Global School, a distinction earned through our commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our Signature Experiences for Global Goals program gives every student the opportunity to solve real-world problems, connect with local and global partners, and contribute meaningfully to the world around them.
  Rooted in our Core Values and integrated across the academic program, these Signature Experiences evolve by division:
  
  In Early Childhood, experiences are woven into classroom units, introducing big ideas through small, developmentally appropriate projects.

  
  In Lower School, Signature Experiences are led in homeroom with support from the Global Cultures curriculum, deepening students’ understanding of their community and its needs.

  
  In Upper School, students engage in a dedicated course where they investigate and address challenges such as clean water access, sustainable food systems, equity in education, and more.

  
  Whether partnering with a local food bank, designing solutions with environmental organizations, or learning from international educators, SEA students develop empathy, agency, and purpose, skills that prepare them not only for secondary school but for meaningful lives of impact.
  
  A Community That Grows Together
  
  Our families are active participants in our community’s thriving. The structures we’ve built at St. Edmund’s Academy including our Chapel Program, Wolf Pup Pack Meetings, and Signature Experiences for Global Goals offer shared touchpoints for conversation, collaboration, and community.
  
  We know that raising children with courage, wisdom, and compassion takes all of us. And at SEA, we’ve built a school where that partnership thrives.

• Leadership Roles & Collaborative Teams

  Shared Responsibility for Belonging and Strategic Inclusion
  
  Belonging at SEA is a shared effort, carried forward by individuals and groups who lead with insight, humility, and collaboration. These leaders ensure that inclusion is championed through coordinated structures and strategic leadership.
  
  Key roles and teams include:
  

  • Director of Education for Inclusion and Global Awareness Leads institutional strategy for belonging, cultural competence, and global education; supports faculty development and student programming across all divisions.
  • FAME Liaison (Fund for Advancement of Minorities through Education) Serves as SEA’s point person for FAME partnerships, supporting scholarship recipients and ensuring successful integration and family support.
  • Board of Trustees DEI Committee Advises the full Board on strategic direction related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging; ensures oversight of key initiatives and alignment with SEA’s mission and Core Values.

  
  These leadership roles reflect SEA’s commitment to intentional, strategic inclusion across governance, operations, and day-to-day school life. Together, they ensure that our work is not siloed or symbolic, but deeply embedded in the way we grow and lead as a community.

• Student Leadership & Inclusive Affinity and Identity-Based Spaces

  Belonging Through Voice, Purpose, and Connection
  
  At SEA, student clubs and affinity spaces are designed to build community, foster leadership, and celebrate identity  within an inclusive framework that welcomes all who wish to listen, learn, and engage.
  
  These groups foster connection and deepen understanding. They provide students with affirming spaces to explore interests, share experiences, and lead initiatives that strengthen our school community. Every club is grounded in SEA’s Core Values, guided by faculty mentors, and open to any student committed to respectful participation.
  
  Current Upper and Lower School groups include:
  

  • Black Student Union (BSU) – Upper School
  • Asian American Student Alliance – Upper School
  • Girls with Goals – Upper School
  • The Giving Circle (focused on philanthropy and community service) – Upper School
  • Friendship Circle – Lower School
  • Confident Communicators–Lower School

  Each group provides students with a space to ask thoughtful questions, build community, and lead with purpose.