Hopkins Diversity Statement

At Hopkins School we value the diversity of our community – students, faculty, staff, and parents, as well as that represented in the surrounding New Haven community and beyond.  All aspects of the Big 8 (see below) are supported through various programs and institutional initiatives. 

Hopkins celebrates a variety of holidays such as United Nations Day, Black History Month, and Martin Luther King Day, among others.  We design diversity days for students and professional development days for faculty, as well as host assembly speakers for the entire community.  Last year, the Drama Department performed the Laramie Project and put on a special show for the Junior School with a very successful question-and-answer session with the cast.  This year, the Diversity Committee hosted the In Our Family photo exhibit, which depicts a range of different types of families, and designed a corresponding diversity program for the entire School.  

To ensure that everyone in the Hopkins community feels safe and valued, the Diversity Committee is creating a Diversity Plan, which will help guide our initiatives.  As the diversity program, as well as our community evolves, the Diversity Committee will also continually update the Diversity Plan.

Below are specific groups/individuals on campus who are responsible for diversity related work:

SURE Club (Students United For Racial Equality)

GASP Club (Gay and Straight People)

FAST (Freshman Academic Support Team)

HAST (Hopkins Academic Support Team)

Diversity Committee (made up of teachers and students)

Diversity Director (Veronica Guinazu)

Diversity Committee Members:

John Anderson - Classics
Pat Borghesan - Development
Catherine Casanova – English, Academic Support
Ian Clark - Mathematics
David Fischer – Science, Mathematics
Gabriela Gerstenfeld – Modern Language
Molly Gibson – 11th Grade
Elizabeth Gleason – History
Veronica Guinazu, Chair, Diversity Director
Kate Horsley - Classics
Matt Lane – College Counseling
Chris Jacox - English
Lan Lin – Modern Language
Whitfield Mastin – Modern Language
Barbara Monahan – Development
Gregory Monahan – 12th Grade
Teresa Picarazzi – Modern Language
John Roberts – History, Assistant Head of School
Adrian Slywotzky - Arts
Octavio Sotelo - Science
Eileen Strange - Classics
Franklin Sylvester – 11th Grade
Ben Taylor – Science, 12th Grade Head Adviser
Alan Thorne – 12th Grade
Martha Venter – French, Admissions

The Big Eight: Dimensions of Diversity from Harold Eugene Batiste, VP – Equity and Justice Initiatives, NAIS

1.       ability

2.       age

3.       ethnicity

4.       gender

5.       race

6.       religion

7.       sexual orientation

8.       socio-economic status