Vistamar Experience
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Leadership Development
Leadership Development for Students
Vistamar offers students a variety of curricular and co-curricular enrichment opportunities to develop their leadership skills as members of our diverse community.
Each year, six sophomores, juniors, and seniors attend the Student Diversity Leadership Conference, hosted by the NAIS People of Color Conference. A large annual conference bringing together over 7000 students, teachers, and other independent school professionals, PoCC-SDLC provides students of color throughout the nation with four days of intensive leadership training.
In addition, Vistamar provides advanced students of color with the opportunity to develop an original course-related project and present research papers at the annual conferences for the National Association of Chicano and Chicana Studies (NACCS) and the National Association of African American Studies (NAAAS). Both conferences also offer students of color the rare opportunity to learn what it means to be a college student and a scholar of color in the academy.
Staffulty Leadership Development
We believe that in order for deep learning to happen, all staffulty must cultivate inclusive education skills. As a result, Vistamar is committed to providing all staff and faculty members with ample opportunities for ongoing professional growth around the subjects of identity, equity, and inclusive teaching.
Some of these opportunities take place within the school and include:
-
Yearlong initiatives spearheaded by the Director of Equity and Inclusion, such as the 2019-2020 DEI Think Tank project “Defining Cultural Competency at Vistamar”
-
Ongoing staffulty programming such as our monthly DEI Community Roundtable
-
Employee resource groups, including the Womxn’s Staffulty Affinity Group, the Staffulty of Color Affinity Group, and the White Staffulty Affinity Group
In addition, each year the school encourages staff and faculty to attend a variety of workshops and conferences to develop their potential as leaders within a diverse community and build connections within the larger professional network of independent school educators. In the past year, staff and faculty have attended and participated in the conferences and/or workshops listed on this page.
The tools that DAC has given me to support my growth as a student leader are honesty, open mindedness, confidence and knowledge in diversity. Each one contributes to my identity as a SAIG leader and myself as a student and a mentor to others at Vistamar.
Vistamar School is a private independent high school in the South Bay region of Los Angeles.
