Dear Lovett Community,
Members of The Lovett School community share in mutually beneficial expectations, practices, and commitments to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) which allow us all to thrive. As an inclusively Christian school, we are a community rooted in love and belonging for all, with a profound respect for diversity, service to others, and moral awareness. We share the knowledge that we are richer given the unique and individual identities within our Lion family.
In the Fall of 2019, our community seized an opportunity to define its objectives and embarked on the drafting of a new strategic plan. Lovett’s strategic design team, in collaboration with many of you, was charged with excavating our values, clarifying our mission and vision, and identifying strategic priorities to guide our collective purpose over the coming years, which are to:
It is no coincidence that these priorities speak directly to work that is core to the delivery of a Lovett education, relationships, community, and sense of belonging.
One of our overarching goals continues to be purposefully weaving a strong sense of belonging for all Lions into every aspect of the School—embedded in all that we do, a lens through which we constantly evaluate behavior, culture, and curriculum.
At Lovett, we have the added expectations of our faith identity which calls us to respect the dignity of every human being, to love our neighbor as ourselves, and to strive for justice and peace among all people.
This expectation includes how we differ from one another, as well as how we share a common humanity and reflect the image of God, acting with compassion, love, and integrity each day.
With that being said, we know there are questions regarding our efforts toward the School’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity progress. Over the past 16 months, the combined work of our Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, students, parents, and alumni has been focused on the foundational components of belonging, inclusion, and connectedness—building leadership capacity, accountability structures, processes, behavioral expectations, and resources.
While some of this work is slower-moving, it is our hope that a strengthened foundation will ensure both short- and long-term success for the community. These efforts, aligned with Lovett’s mission and values, will be enduring to ensure every member of the Lovett community feels connected to one another and the School.
Given the breadth of our constituents—students, parents, faculty, staff, alumni, trustees, and friends of the School—I invite you to visit our website for more specific information regarding these efforts.
By no means does this update bring a sense of finality to our mission. As we engage in this important work, we continue to learn from our experiences and from each other. We are grateful for your trust and partnership as we strive to support our community. While we have made progress in many initiatives outlined by the Board of Trustees last year, there is still much to do. Creating a more connected and equitable community will require unwavering support from all members of the Lovett family and purposeful adjustments to processes along the way.
My colleagues and I are grateful for your partnership and devotion to Lovett in our journey to a welcoming and inclusive environment for all.