Community Multicultural Development Team

CMDT Group Photo

The School's Community and Multicultural Development Team (CMDT) includes LS Representative Daniel Cohen, CMDT Chair Caroline Lee, MS Representative Victor Cirilo, Director of Health and Wellness Dr. Candy Shah and Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Anthony McKinley (pictured above), US Representative Darling Cerna '13, Parent Representative Tiffany Smith and Head of School Paul Stellato.

Summary of policies and program areas to be addressed through the Facing Forward Strategic Plan for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion:

  • The PreK-12 curriculum: to ensure that the program fully incorporates the experiences and contributions of Black and other underrepresented communities

  • Standards of conduct, honor policies, and handbooks: to see that all expectations are fair and applied equally; and that discriminatory conduct of any kind is not tolerated

  • Anti-racism and cultural competency education for students, faculty, staff, and parents: to provide a shared language and understanding of the responsibilities of membership in a diverse community

  • Hiring, retention, and evaluation policies and programs: to increase and enhance the diversity of faculty, staff, and leadership across the School; and to make available resources to retain faculty and staff of color

  • Student life, college counseling, and athletics: to provide equal opportunity and benefit of these essential programs for all students

  • Admissions and retention: to build a diverse pool of candidates, allowing school enrollment to reflect more fully the communities from which its students are drawn

  • Parent and family outreach: to welcome and connect Black families and families of color to Princeton Day School

  • Further, to engage Black alumni, the School will create a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee of the alumni council, providing a formal way for them to participate in the life of the School and serve as mentors and guides for Black students and alumni.

  • A task force of faculty, staff, school leaders, students, recent graduates, and parents will be formed during the 2020 summer to begin the review of the areas listed above. Reporting to the Board and the Head of School at specific intervals throughout the school year, the task force will work closely with Dr. Artis, drawing upon all the resources our parent, faculty and staff, and student communities have to offer.

Note: the CMDT Mission and Affinity Groups information below.

Our Mission: Princeton Day School (PDS) aspires to create a diverse, equitable and inclusive community in which all members are seen, challenged, affirmed, respected and valued.

We believe that in actively cultivating such an environment, we foster intellectual, social and emotional growth for all of our constituents.

We aim to transcend mere tolerance of differences through creating and sustaining safe spaces for PDS students that encourage courageous conversations, leaning into discomfort, deep listening and social-emotional growth.

These conversations are rooted in, but not limited to, the eight major social identifiers: Race, Age, Ability, Sexual Orientation, Class, Gender, Ethnicity and Religion.

PDS faculty and staff are encouraged to actively participate in personal and professional development and engage in daily discussions surrounding topics of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Faculty and staff attend the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) People of Color Conference (POCC), New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS) Diversity Conference, White Privilege Conference, Race Institute, etc. to continue to engage in these essential conversations and stay abreast of best practices and research in what’s affectionately referred to as “the Work.”

The Community Multicultural Development Team (CMDT), composed of representatives across all three divisions, a parent coordinator, Health and Wellness Director and Head of School, organizes and facilitates student programming rooted in anti-racism, cultural competency and social/emotional learning. Additionally, the team consults with school leadership in hiring decisions, curriculum development and faculty/staff affinity groups.

In classrooms, in clubs and affinity groups, in assemblies, through curriculum, and through other programming, CMDT works to support and sustain the growth and development of anti-bias, anti-racist pedagogy and practice for all constituents.

Upper School Student affinity groups include:

  • Black Student Union (BSU)
  • Latinx Student Union (LSU)
  • Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA)
  • PRIDE
  • Multiracial Student Union (MSU)
  • Jewish Student Union (JSU)
  • Gender Creative

Middle School Student affinity groups include:

  • Black Student Union (BSU)
  • Jewish Student Union (JSU)
  • Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA)
  • Multiracial Affinity Group
  • Latinx Student Union (LSU)
  • Culturally Aware Student Association (CASA)
  • Gay/Straight Alliance Group (GSA)