Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Wheeler

At Wheeler, we recognize that our school exists in a community, state, country, and world represented by a multitude of cultures and viewpoints. Therefore, diversity and multiculturalism imbue all that we do. From academic programs to athletic programs, extra-curricular and co-curricular activities, Wheeler endeavors to create an environment that includes people and viewpoints from a variety of cultures, backgrounds, and ways of life.

The Office of Unity & Diversity, led by Director Princess Sirleaf Bomba, supports the ongoing efforts at  Wheeler to incorporate multicultural approaches to both existing and new practices. We provide resources to the Wheeler community in the areas of community education; consultation to faculty, staff and families; and developing inclusive practices. Wheeler’s diversity education program is about having respect for others, regardless of age, gender, race, ability, sexual orientation, economic status or religion. The curriculum utilizes texts and materials that give voice to those people and perspectives previously unheard and includes sensitivity on the part of our faculty, staff and administration to the circumstances that affect the lives of our students, families, and colleagues on a day-to-day basis. Adults at Wheeler engage in ongoing professional development opportunities in the area of multicultural teaching and learning, and in cultivating and maintaining a multicultural community.

Omar Bah (center) holds the 2022 Wheeler Community Spirit Award and stands with family members, Head of School Allison Gaines Pell (far left), and Director of Unity and Diversity Princess Bomba (far right), inside Isenberg Auditorium.
Omar Bah (center) stands with family members, Head of School Allison Gaines Pell (far left), and Director of Unity and Diversity Princess Bomba (far right), during a ceremony honoring him as winner of the 2022 Wheeler Community Spirit Award.

The Student Support Program

The Student Support Program is the first of its kind at Wheeler and the surrounding area. It provides additional support for students who are traditionally underrepresented in independent schools and on college campuses (students of color, students from low-income backgrounds, students who will be the first in their family to complete a four-year degree program, and/or students who will be the first in their family to attend college in the US).

Under the auspices of the Unity & Diversity Office and College Counseling Office, the Student Support Coordinator leads the initiatives of the SSP to encourage, assist and celebrate the achievements of underrepresented students throughout high school and into college.

The Wheeler Diversity Conference

Wheeler faculty and students attend local, regional and national conferences to further their work in these areas.  Wheeler is the host of a regional conference each April as part of the Pollyanna network of DEI conferences.  Learn about Wheeler’s annual Diversity Conference for students, alumni, parents, heads, trustees, faculty, and administrators of independent schools.

Fast Facts on DEI at Wheeler

+ Wheeler has 36% students of color among its community.

+ Wheeler has 26% teachers of color among its faculty.

Diversity At Wheeler – Student Panel from Wheeler School PR Office on Vimeo.

Announcing our 2023 Community Spirit Award

Photo of Patricia Martinez outside as she smiles at the camera.
Patricia Martinez

The Wheeler School is pleased to announce that Patricia Martinez, a dynamic community leader with a distinguished record of public service that has spanned both government and the nonprofit sector, will be this year’s recipient of the Wheeler Community Spirit Award.

Throughout her career, Martinez, who is currently the Chief of Equity & Empowerment Officer for the Central Falls School District, has been a practitioner and advocate for social justice. In a range of roles, her work has focused on community organizing, promoting positive youth development, family engagement, and building partnerships with community and faith-based organizations and educational systems to ensure the delivery of services to low-income families.

Each year since 2004, the Wheeler Community Spirit Award has recognized a person in the Providence community who advocates for those with fewer opportunities. They are selected based on their efforts in four key areas: passion for equity and social justice, both locally and globally; appreciation for and promotion of the benefits of education; commitment to creating opportunities in the community for those who otherwise might not have a voice or an advocate; and resilience in the face of challenge and adversity.

Martinez will receive the Wheeler Community Spirit Award during a Feb. 17 ceremony on Wheeler’s Providence campus. The event is sponsored by the Upper School’s Students Involved in Cultural Awareness club, the Office of Unity & Diversity, and the Wheeler School Parents Association.

Wheeler's Unity & Diversity Team

Questions about Wheeler's DEI philosophy

For us, “diversity” refers to any of what we call “socially significant identities”, i.e., an identity that can matter in terms of how people are treated in contemporary American society. Major examples include race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class, age, and physical or mental ability.

Why do [Wheeler students] seem so emboldened to take risks, to share talent, to emote, to express themselves, to be themselves? It is created through a student culture that moves beyond withholding judgment (no mean feat) to actively endorsing one another’s individualities and particular passions. Wheeler’s Mission: “To Learn Our Powers And Be Answerable To Their Use” supports an environment where all our members can say “Wheeler is my school.” Our Statement on Diversity and Community further defines the connections between our overall mission and diversity work.

At Wheeler we focus on the whole child, which includes social and emotional development. Research has shown that children become better critical thinkers, better students, and better people if they engage with people who are different from them, including in socially significant ways, and this is especially true for members of majority groups, who tend to see themselves reflected in their surroundings more than they see people who are different from them. We also recognize that our current generation of students is going to enter an adult world in which they will be expected to be able to work successfully in environments with all different kinds of people.

  • Ongoing professional development for faculty and staff around socially significant identities and the opportunities and issues they raise for us, both on campus and at regional and national conferences
  • Ongoing professional development for middle and upper school students around socially significant identities and the opportunities and issues they raise for us, both on campus and at regional and national conferences
  • Grade level focuses on various aspects of diversity N-12
  • Required diversity curriculum (“Unity & Diversity”) in grades 4-9
  • Racial, ethnic, religious, and shared interest affinity groups for students
  • Parent diversity discussion groups

The Student Support Program is the first of its kind at Wheeler and the surrounding area. It provides additional support for students who are traditionally underrepresented in independent schools and on college campuses (students of color, students from low-income backgrounds, students who will be the first in their family to complete a four-year degree program, and/or students who will be the first in their family to attend college in the US).

Under the auspices of the Unity & Diversity Office and College Counseling Office, the Student Support Coordinator/Associate Director of College Counseling leads the initiatives of the SSP to encourage, assist and celebrate the achievements of underrepresented students throughout high school and into college.

The Wheeler School’s Community Spirit Award:

Established in 2004, the Wheeler School Community Spirit Award recognizes a person in the Providence Community who advocates for those who have fewer opportunities. Recipients are recognized for their efforts in four key areas: · Passion for equity and social justice , both locally and globally · Appreciation for and promotion of the benefits of education · Commitment to creating opportunities in the community for those who otherwise might not have a voice or an advocate · Resilience in the face of challenge and adversity. We ask each recipient to attend the annual Wheeler School Community Potluck Dinner, where the award is presented. The Family Potluck dinner is a school-wide event, sponsored by the Upper School’s diversity club Students Involved in Cultural Awareness (SICA), the Office of Unity & Diversity and the Wheeler Parent’s Association.

Community Spirit Award Recipients

2022 Omar Bah, the Founder and Executive Director of the Refugee Dream Center, Inc.

2021 Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, MD, MPH, and Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health

2020 Dr. Arun K. Singh, one of America’s pre-eminent cardiac surgeons and author of the award-winning memoir Your Heart: My Hand

2019 Jeffrey Osborne, musical performer and philanthropist

2018 Rose Weaver, acclaimed musician, playwright, actress and activist and 2019 RI Woman of the Year

2017 Dan Miller, Wheeler Head of School, 2002-2017

2016 Patrice Wood, news anchor, WJAR-TV, Providence for her advocacy work on behalf of adoptees and their families.

2015 Joseph Le, former executive director of  Providence-based Center for Southeast Asians

2014 Richard Rose, Assistant US Attorney

2013 Angelo Garcia, founder and head of school, Segue Institute for Learning

2012  Mamie Catlin, in absentia, founder of Camp Street Community Ministries

2011 Teny Gross, executive director, RI Institute for the Study and Practice of Non-Violence

2010 G. Gail Davis, educator/coach, Rhode Island College Student-Athlete Center

2009 Jim Vincent, Manager of Constituent Relations, RI Housing

2008 Len Cabral, Master Storyteller

2007 Armeather Gibbs, United Way executive

2006 Healthcare and community activist Dr. Pablo Rodriguez

2005 Educator and founder of Urban Collaborative Accelerated Program Rob DeBlois

2004 RI Superior Court Judge Ed Clifton

Our Voices