Building an Antiracist Community at GUS

Dear GUS Community,

The Board of Trustees joins Head of School Gretchen Forsyth and the GUS faculty and staff in their commitment to building an antiracist community. As an institution, we recognize the impact of systemic racism and the role schools have played to perpetuate these inequities. The work to continually evolve our school culture and program so that every member of our community feels safe, respected, and valued is intrinsic to our foundation and our future. As initial action steps, members of the GUS Board of Trustees, faculty, and staff attended the AISNE Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion conference in October, and the Board of Trustees formed a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee of the Board in December. Additionally, the Board will host an internal DEI retreat in January to begin equity, inclusion, and antiracism training.  

In our search for a new head of school last year, we, as a community, prioritized a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. This summer, the GUS Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Professional Learning Group participated in an intensive equity improvement clinic through the Harvard RIDES (Reimagining Integration: Diverse and Equitable Schools) Project to help define this year's DEI work on campus. We support this work and thank Gretchen Forsyth and the GUS faculty and staff for investing their time, hearts, and minds in deepening their learning about equity and antiracism and for integrating conversations about race into the GUS curriculum. 

Guided by the GUS philosophy that children “thrive in a nurturing environment where their ideas, feelings, and thoughts are valued,” and aligned with our mission to “respect all people and value their differences,” GUS believes diversity, equity, and inclusion work is central to children’s academic and social-emotional growth. We want GUS students to be equipped with the tools to embrace and engage with differences in our school and beyond. In doing so, we strive to protect the dignity and worth of every member of our community.

The events that unfolded last week at the Capitol and the prominent display of symbols of racism have underscored an urgent need for us to act and reaffirm our commitment. We look forward to the important work ahead and, together, we will Mean Well, Speak Well, and Do Better.

Sincerely,
Glen Urquhart School Board of Trustees

George Balich P ’92, ’96, G ’22, ’25, president
Jake Bartlett ’87 P ’27
Andrew Brown P ’21
Michael Buensuceso
Brooke Carroll P ’17, ’20
Melanie D’Orio P ‘20
Tamah French P ’17 ’20 ’26
Kenneth Grant P ’13, ’20, vice president

Lisa Kent P ’23 ’26, clerk
Trish Landgren, Esq. P’17, ’24, vice president
Peter Mason
Brian Miller P ’21 ’23
David Patch P ’16, ’19, ’23, treasurer
Louis Somma ’88 P ’23
Zara-Marie Spooner
Alen Yen P ’22