BUILDING A CULTURE OF INCLUSIVENESS

TrinityPawlingFamilyStyleMeals

Leaders, teachers, coaches, and parents all seek opportunities to create positive and productive environments at home, at school, and everywhere in between. Positive and productive communities are built one relationship at a time. Leadership, vision, and common commitments are important, but our daily interactions and relationships continually build our culture.

One of the most important components of building these relationships says Headmaster Bill Taylor, “is the ability to collaborate with others across various different networks. This has been identified as a critical skill required to prepare young people for the opportunities they will have in the future.” Collaboration factors strongly into many new programs being initiated at Trinity-Pawling. Headmaster Taylor’s signature program, the Practicum for Civic Leadership, requires intensive collaboration among students and faculty.

Campus culture is made up of the interactions between community members, how our shared values are communicated and upheld, and the ease with which students and faculty take advantage of the opportunities available to them. “The Trinity-Pawling learning experience is grounded in the affirmation that this is a community of mutual engagement, and important school traditions reinforce this foundation,” says Taylor.

On an inclusive campus, all students, and faculty should feel that they belong, respect others’ right to belong, and have an equal opportunity to thrive and contribute. “Our community gathers regularly in chapel to learn the value of community and what is required of each of us to affirm and support an inclusive community,” Taylor continues. The positive value of diversity in creating a stimulating and vibrant community is well understood and respected at Trinity-Pawling.

Relationships take time – a precious commodity in the busy life of a school community. With little down-time, every interaction matters. One of the long-standing traditions at Trinity-Pawling is the family-style meal – an important affirmation of an inclusive community. “Over a meal, students from different age groups, different dorms, and different backgrounds gather together at table to share fellowship, “ Taylor reflects.

“The students’ advocacy of ‘The Brotherhood’ is also a powerful testament to the notion that this community, in its ideal, supports one another in its whole. Sometimes the reality of communal interactions fall short of the ideal, but the students’ advocacy for ‘their Brotherhood’ focuses attention on the support and care that the students have for one another,” says Taylor.

As an educational institution, Trinity-Pawling is committed to creating an environment where students and faculty members can successfully pursue their academic pursuits. “I believe that learning and growth are communal experiences and that community is enriched by diversity, including the differences of perspective,” says Taylor.

Excellence in learning is achieved when we take advantage of the diversity of opinions and experiences. As the leaders of the community, faculty members have an especially important role to play in creating an inclusive culture. “As the leader of Trinity-Pawling School, I aspire to build a common vision that will enrich the school today and in the future. As such, I seek to be collaborative in my leadership style, and invite input from others through mutuality, dialogue, and respect. This does not mean that there will always be unanimity in opinions. It does mean, however, that I welcome discourse as an opportunity to build common purpose and mutual understanding.” Taylor concludes.