A Welcome Message from Director of Unity & Diversity Princess Sirleaf Bomba P’16, P’18
Dear New Families,
Welcome to Wheeler! I write to introduce myself as director of unity & diversity at The Wheeler School and to offer you a warm welcome to our community.
At Wheeler, celebrating diversity is at the core of what we do, 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 the office’s purpose.
Please feel free to call or email me with any questions you might have about Wheeler. In addition to my professional role, I was a parent at Wheeler for 16 years and was a trustee for six years, so I am happy to be of service in any way I can as you join us here at Wheeler.
As I embark upon my 11th 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 Lower School sons (Wheeler class ’16 and ’18) believed Wheeler really was the “most fun place to be!”
I wish you a warm welcome to Wheeler and invite you to call (528-2254) or email me.
All my best wishes to your family to be well and stay safe!
Princess
Princess Sirleaf Bomba
Director of Unity & Diversity
Sampling of Unity & Diversity Events and Programs
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)
- Students Involved in Cultural Awareness (SICA) Potluck Dinner and Community Spirit Award Program (February)
- Wheeler hosts AISNE’s HSSoC Conference (April)
- Diversity Committee Meetings (Monthly)
- Adoption Parents 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 (Meets regularly; MS, US)
- QSA (Queer/Straight Alliance) (Meets regularly; MS, US)
- Students of Color Mentor Program (Pairs meet weekly; LS, MS, US)
- Student Support Program College Visits and Financial Aid Information Sessions
- Affinity Groups (Meet regularly; LS, MS, 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 2023 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 Unity & Diversity at Wheeler
The Office of Unity & Diversity 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 U&D 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, and 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 Unity & Diversity 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.