The Elisabeth Morrow School’s initiatives around community life, equity, and belonging (CLEB) focus on designing equity, access, and liberation for the entire community; enriching student experiences that help them to understand, value, and benefit from the diversity of our community and beyond, navigating diversity, equity, and belonging conversations and integrating anti-bias standards in our faculty-staff professional development.
The Director of Community Life, Equity, and Belonging works collaboratively with all departments to coordinate, establish, and solidify equitable school-wide processes, as well as supporting wide-scale institutional and strategic efforts like hiring, retention, communications, and operations. A significant part of the director’s work is to act as the administrative liaison to the Parents Association (PA) in support of creating community events aligned with the mission and vision of the school.
Community Events
Celebrating our different cultures
In February 2024, the PA hosted our biennial International Food Festival where our community gathered to share, celebrate, and appreciate the cultural diversity of EMS. Amazing ethnic and regional foods from across the world were brought together by our families. A breakout space was added where students and families could explore cultural crafts and games.
Sharing our love of reading
In the fall of 2025, the PA held our annual Book Fair & Storytelling Festival, hosting special events featuring authors, illustrators, and musical storytellers, including Broadway performer Mandy Gonzalez and “New York Times” bestseller Jarrett Krosoczka.
Connecting students and Families to EMS
In an effort to connect the students and families at EMS, the PA hosts our welcome breakfast at the beginning of the year, Fall Festival, concert and classroom receptions, and a variety of playdates and social events.
Celebrating Faculty & staff
Last year, in collaboration with the PA, we honored our staff in a variety of ways, including the Faculty Tea, Teacher Appreciation Week, the Faculty & Staff Gift Fund, and end-of-the-year faculty and staff lunch.
showing up when needed
Last year, the EMS community filled more than 300 volunteer slots to support our major community events. Almost 100 parents volunteered for leadership roles in the PA to help plan, organize, and connect the greater EMS community as class parents, event chairs, affinity group facilitators, or as part of the PA executive board.
Building Community Through Affinity
Togetherness at EMS sometimes begins with finding connections with others within the community who share similar experiences. This connection often helps to develop or deepen an individual's sense of belonging. While all affinity groups separate us for brief glimpses in time they ultimately help us come together and learn, share, and find connections across our affinities and cultures.
Continuing to be responsive to the needs of the EMS parent and caregiver community, the identity-based affinity groups offered have evolved. These groups offer opportunities for community members to connect and collaborate based on identity-based affinity. These groups facilitated 10 student-centered cultural shares during Little School assemblies last year and at the start of this year, providing an opportunity for students to build knowledge and understanding about world cultures while empowering other students to feel a sense of pride as they share about their own culture. Additionally, these groups are key contributors to biennial community-wide cultural sharing events, such as the International Food Festival and Culture Fair.
In the 2023-2024 school year, several affinity groups hosted community-wide events to share more about their culture or group connection. In December 2024, the parents and caregivers of Jewish children held a community-wide Hanukkah event to celebrate and share with the greater EMS community the significance and traditions of the holiday. In February 2024, the parents and caregivers of black students invited the greater EMS community to celebrate Black History Month. Children shared information about Black Americans who have made impactful contributions to American culture. In April 2024, the Green Committee hosted Earth Day at the Tenafly Nature Center, where families helped to eradicate a problematic plant species. EMS students who formed the Nature Defense Club were student leaders, hosting face painting in addition to a craft and bake sale.
UPCOMING: In February 2025, the PA DEI committee will host the biennial Culture Fair where EMS families will come together to share parts of their familial culture. We look forward to finding a connection as we share the music, games, and crafts that hold special meaning to our families.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR VISION AND GOALS FOR THE FUTURE OF EMS
Important 2024–2025 State of the School topics include updates from Chilton House, Little School, and Morrow House, as well as Advancement, Auxiliary Programs, Communications and Marketing, Enrollment, Facilities and Operations, and Finances.
