A Welcome Back Message from Director of Equity, Community, and Belonging Princess Sirleaf Bomba P’16, P’18
Dear New Families,
Welcome to Wheeler! I write to introduce myself as director of equity, community, and belonging at The Wheeler School and to offer you a warm welcome to our community. For those of you who I’ve had the opportunity to meet, you may notice that my title and office has changed from “Unity & Diversity,” While our work remains the same, we felt that “Equity, Community, and Belonging” more accurately reflects the full scope of what we do here.
Building strong relationships and centering diversity through an equity lens is at the core of the Wheeler experience, and as such, we reserve multiple opportunities across the school year to celebrate the rich diversity within our own community. A sampling of events from last year is listed below, as is a description of my office’s purpose.
Please feel free to call (401-528-2254) or email me (princessbomba@wheelerschool.org) with any questions you might have about Wheeler. In addition to my professional role, I was a parent at Wheeler for 16 years and a trustee for six years, so I am happy to be of service in any way I can as you join us.
As I embark upon my 12th year leading Wheeler’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging initiatives, I am excited to get to know your children and work with all of you in the years ahead. While I eagerly look forward to seeing you at the opening of school, I hope you are relishing these last few weeks of summer with family and friends. As a former Wheeler parent, I can attest to how quickly time passes. It seems like it was only yesterday when our two sons (Wheeler Classes of 2016 and 2018), who were then in Lower School, believed that “the sandbox was the best thing about Wheeler!”
I wish you a warm welcome to Wheeler. All my best wishes to your family to be well and stay safe!
Princess
Princess Sirleaf Bomba
Director of the Office of Equity, Community, and Belonging
Sampling of Equity, Community, and Belonging Events and Programs from Last School Year
Opportunities for All Students/All School Community Events
- Welcome and End-of-Year Community Celebrations of Our Families with Children of Color (September and June)
- Welcome and End-of-Year Community Celebrations of Our LGBTQ+ Families (September and June)
- Multicultural Performance Showcase (November)
- SICA Potluck Dinner and Community Spirit Award Program (February)
- Wheeler hosts AISNE’s High School Students of Color Conference (April)
- Diversity Committee meetings (Monthly)
- Adoption Parents and Guardians Coffee Drop-in (Monthly)
- LGBTQ+ Parents and Guardians Coffee Drop-in (Monthly)
- Coffee, Cupcakes, and Conversation– Parent and Guardian diversity discussion groups (Quarterly)
School Groups and Division Events (LS – Lower School, MS – Middle School, US – Upper School)
- SICA (Students Involved in Cultural Awareness) (Meets regularly; MS, US)
- QSA (Queer/Straight Alliance) (Meets regularly; MS, US)
- Students of Color Mentor Program (Pairs meet weekly; LS, MS, US)
- Affinity Groups (Meet regularly; US)
- Unity & Diversity Weeks (LS, MS, US)
- NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference (US)
- GLSEN Conference (US)
- AISNE High School Students of Color Conference (US)
- Ally Week (US)
- AISNE Middle School Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Conference (MS)
- AISNE Middle School Students of Color Conference (MS)
- Language, cultural, and immigration studies (LS)
Opportunities/Events for Faculty and Staff
We also provide and connect Wheeler faculty and staff with learning and professional development opportunities in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging throughout the school year. Some recent examples include:
- AISNE Leadership for Racial Justice Fellows
- AISNE Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Conference
- Identifying and Responding to Bullying and Microaggressions at Every Age
- NAIS Diversity Leadership Institute (DLI)
- NAIS Equity Design Lab (EDL)
- NAIS People of Color Conference
- The Story Bridge Project: Inclusion & Community through Storytelling
The Office of Equity, Community and Belonging at Wheeler
The Office of Equity, Community, and Belonging develops programs, initiatives, and curriculum across all divisions and provides ample opportunities for candid dialogue which will further strengthen unity within our diversity through the lens of social justice.
The office was established in 2002 to support the ongoing efforts undertaken by Wheeler to incorporate a multicultural community in order to enhance academic excellence. The office provides resources to the Wheeler community in developing and maintaining inclusive and equitable practices.
The office is comprised of a director, an assistant director, six divisional coordinators, and a student support coordinator for non-traditional college counseling and post-graduate success.
Our philosophy on diversity is grounded in the recognition that our school exists in a community, state, country, and world represented by a multitude of cultures and viewpoints. Diversity and multiculturalism, therefore, imbue all that we do. From academic programs to athletic programs, extracurricular 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.
As an N-12 community, the Equity, Community, and Belonging curriculum at Wheeler is developed with individual grade and age-appropriate information and approaches to the core concept of recognizing, discussing, and having respect for all socially significant identities (age, gender, gender identity, race, ability, sexual orientation, economic status, or religion).
Additionally, faculty and staff engage in ongoing professional development opportunities in the area of multicultural teaching and learning, and in cultivating and maintaining a multicultural community. This approach has produced a creative environment that is committed to developing and sustaining a truly equitable and inclusive community that celebrates differences.
Some of the non-academic programs which support our institutional initiatives are events such as the Multicultural Performance Showcase, Students of Color Mentor Program, Faculty of Color Mentoring Program, Coffee, Cupcakes and Conversation, Wheeler Adults Interested in Cultural Awareness, and multiple social events for families with adopted children, LGBTQ+ families, and families with children of color.