About

Equity & Inclusion

Since its founding in 1950, Greenhill has continuously challenged and reimagined what it takes to build a community. By repeatedly crossing thresholds in this work, Greenhill has led in diversity, equity, and inclusion work for decades.

Today, that means creating a community that sees diversity as a strength, leans on equitable practices, and prioritizes belonging through inclusion. Greenhill strives to honor, highlight, and leverage the diversity of lived experiences present in our community to cultivate a sense of inclusion and belonging amongst our students, families, and faculty.

Relationship-building is a core component in our practice of creating an equitable and inclusive, joyful community in which people are at the center. Building on our commitment to this work, we look forward to the ways in which our ever-evolving community of individuals will interpret and apply our core values of integrity, compassion, excellence, and courage through the lens of equity and inclusion.

MONSIE MUÑOZ '05

Interim Director of Equity & Inclusion

The Office of E&I at Greenhill today is…

Supporting students in exploring, celebrating, and sharing their identity in developmentally appropriate ways through Upper School Affinity Groups, the Middle School Discovery Series, and Lower School Push-In Sessions.
Creating and developing individual inclusion goals for prekindergarten – grade 12 faculty through the Equity Literacy Goal writing process.
Fostering community-wide involvement and partnership in E&I work through the Employee, Family, and Student Inclusion Councils.
Partnering with families to give access to the full Greenhill experience to all students regardless of gender.
Learning and connecting with independent schools across the U.S. to exchange ideas by bringing cohorts to the annual Student Diversity Leadership Conference and the People of Color Conference hosted by NAIS.

But Our Legacy of Commitment Spans the Years...

1950s: Diversity efforts begin through the creation of a financial aid program to facilitate access to a larger group of students in the DFW.
1960s: First faculty member of color joins the community.
1970s: Greenhill’s Statement of Purpose states that the school “consciously recognizes the educational value of school community that includes a variety of economic, cultural, and racial backgrounds” and consequently founds an Independent School Project program with Boys Clubs of Greater Dallas.
1980s: Greenhill School entered a school-to-school partnership with Colegio Bolivar in Columbia, South America, allowing our "students the opportunity to live with students from another country, experience different cultures, and develop a fundamental understanding of other people."
1990s: Joe Gonzales is named as the Assistant to the Headmaster for Diversity Programs and “diversity” appears in the School’s mission for the first time.
2000s: First “Statement on Diversity” is adopted by the Board of Trustees. Sexual orientation is included in the School’s non-discrimination statement for the first time. Greenhill leads successful petition of ISAS Benefits Trust for inclusion of same-sex domestic partners in school benefits (22 schools). And The Laramie Project is staged as the fall drama.
2010s: True Colors (LGBTQ students/allies/advocates) student group forms and hosts area-wide conference for students and employees. Upper School student affinity groups focused on various core cultural identifiers are created with support from Director of Equity and Inclusion and faculty across divisions. The Department of Multicultural Programs is changed to the Office of Equity and Inclusion to reflect the evolution of the work in our community.

And Our Work Doesn't Stop Here...

As we look forward, our commitment to this work as a community requires that all of us continue to uphold the ideals of equity, inclusion, and belonging for all. Together, we see our community and the people in it as worlds ready to grow and thrive because of our equitable policies and guidelines and our inclusive practices.

We will design for a better future. A future in which we cultivate integrity, compassion, excellence, and courage through the lens of equity and inclusion. A future in which people are at the center and joy is all around.

Greenhill Definitions

Equity
Having what one needs to participate fully in the life of the school coupled with the opportunity to reach one’s full potential.

Inclusion
Encourages respect and appreciation for differences resulting in a sense of belonging.

OUR COMMITTMENT – Greenhill School affirms that a diverse and inclusive community built upon authentic relationships inspires discovery and consequential learning. Our belief in inclusion motivates us to seek meaningful engagement with the different identities, experiences, and worldviews that are represented in and beyond our School. We believe that the route to inclusive community is equity – all of us creating the conditions where each has what they need to participate fully in the life of the School and has the opportunity to reach their deepest potential. For Greenhill students, our commitment to equity and inclusion sets them on a path to engage respectfully and purposefully as local and global citizens.