Diverse defines us all as we bring our unique combination of attributes to the Berkshire Country Day community. It is this diversity that enriches and strengthens our school. Each of our identities include, race, gender, class (education levels, and income/assets), ethnicity, religious preference, sexual orientation, age, abilities/disabilities, and language, as well as many other attributes that give shape to self.
Our mission, philosophy, and core values as an institution guide us to provide an education for our children in which they will achieve excellence as students and develop as citizens of the world. An education that thoughtfully and deliberately teaches and values diversity and diverse perspectives leads to this excellence by requiring students to regard and respect others and to understand the world from multiple viewpoints. It requires students to grow academically and to develop a social and emotional intelligence.
A diverse curriculum requires strong critical thinking skills and flexibility. It moves students from the parochial to the global. A diverse curriculum asks students to understand who they and others are, in relation to the increasingly connected world that we all inhabit. It also asks students to understand the structures that convey privilege or lack thereof, while emphasizing a concern for equity and justice. We all possess multi-faceted identities. Understanding the richness and complexity of ourselves and others leads to a more empathetic and sophisticated understanding of the human condition as a whole. This understanding will prepare and enable BCD students to function as well-informed, just, and fair-minded citizens in the 21st century.