From November 15-17, The ADL (Anti-Defamation League) hosted three, day-long trainings with the sixth, seventh, and eighth grade, providing our upper school students with anti-bias education designed to foster equity and inclusion.
DEI News
November marked American Indian Heritage Month. We took a look inside two St. Hilda’s & St. Hugh’s classrooms to see how students study the Native Americans of Northeastern America and beyond.
Mark Boulas, Associate Director of DEI, Paula Lee, third grade faculty and DEIL member, and Naa Mor Aryeetey, senior kindergarten faculty, attended PoCC in San Antonio, Texas.
Recently, Mr. Boulas, Associate Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Gretchen Kane, Director of Admission, attended the RIISE Recruitment Event in Greenwich, CT.
Known as the “Festival of Lights”, Diwali is one of the major religious holidays in Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism. Every year, faculty across the school celebrate this important day with their classes by learning about Diwali and engaging through their curriculum in a meaningful and educational way.
Each month, Ms. Lee selects one to two books for lower school students that are chosen with an age-appropriate DEI lens in mind. Click below to read about our October selections
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month by highlighting and sharing in the culture and history of the Hispanic and LatinX community.
This year, we will be offering three Student Affinity Space groups for students to participate in. Click below to read more.
This year, St. Hilda’s & St. Hugh’s welcomes Mark Boulas, J.D., to our administration as the new Associate Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
On Tuesday, the Senate unanimously voted to approve a bill co-sponsored by Senator Markey and 60 others, including our own state Senators, Senator Schumer and Senator Gillibrand, declaring tomorrow, June 19th, a legal public holiday. Yesterday, President Biden signed it into law.
We turn again to our mission, which affirms our belief that all creation is sacred, and our commitment to an educational community that reflects unity in diversity
As part of the Science Department’s “Spotlight on Female Scientists” for Women’s History Month, students in Steven Schwartz’s seventh grade classes had a chance to listen to a presentation by the renowned molecular biologist Dr. Melanie Dobson.
“We wanted to honor the need for all children to see themselves as heroes,” said Seventh and Eighth Grade English Teacher Anne Rabbino.
“History matters, and here at St. Hilda’s, you care about your history.”
Last spring, we renewed our commitment to the cause of racial justice and our school's mission to recognize the sacred nature of everey member of our community. This letter outlines the work of the DEIL team to date, as well as some of the initiatives the school has planned for the coming year and beyond.
“I am determined to continue our work to educate children who will one day, as Mother Ruth said years ago, ‘tear down the walls and divisions that separate people of different cultures, creeds, and classes.’”
In Chapel, Lower Division French Teacher Deb Jordan-Levy discussed the importance of learning about different Francophone countries while studying the language.
“For us, Black History is not just about February; it is every day.”
“This event is titled a ‘Gospel Celebration,’” Minister Irventz Garçon said. “However, it is much deeper than that.”
“They Sold Human Beings Here” uncovers the mostly hidden and forgotten locations where enslaved people were bought and sold, accompanied by images of auction sites taken by photographer Dannielle Bowman.
Students and guest performers put on a spectacular Lunar New Year performance which included singing, dancing, and fireworks. View photos from this beloved all-school event here.
A lawyer and criminal justice reformer, Janos Martin '96 began to explore his passion for activism in second grade at St. Hilda's & St. Hugh's. Janos is still driven by the values his teachers imparted—morality, civics, and service to community.
As the second grade embarked upon their year-long study of the world, their technology class went along on the journey, with a stop-motion movie project to illustrate the movement of the continents, and a re-creation of the Q'eswachaka Rope Bridge in Peru.
Lower Division Learning Specialist Margaret Pennoyer began the new year by talking about different New Year's Eve traditions around the world.
Senior Kindergarten teachers Ms. Clark and Ms. Washington share their knowledge and personal experience with Día de los Muertos during Chapel.
During National Disability Employment Awareness Month, fourth and fifth grade science teacher Katie Behrmann talked with the upper division in Chapel about the challenges faced by people with disabilities and how the laws and practices of New York City and the entire nation affect them.
A new leadership team has been charged with amplifying our founder’s revolutionary mission and the values of equity and inclusion that remain a crucial part of St. Hilda’s & St. Hugh’s mission.
In September, third grade teacher and DEIL member Paula Lee spoke about the Korean harvest celebration Chuseok during lower division Chapel.
The head of school’s first Chapel address, which took place on the cusp of the school’s observance of Hispanic Heritage Month, highlighted the people and places of Washington Heights, a hub of Latinx culture overlooking the Hudson.

Alumna author Rabeah Ghaffari ’89 offered a reading from her recently published novel, To Keep The Sun Alive, in the C.V. Starr Library at St. Hilda's & St. Hugh's on May 23.
“I'll tell you what ‘freedom’ is to me—no fear!” The words of legendary soul singer Nina Simone inspired the students, faculty, and parents assembled at this year's Gospel Celebration, titled “A Journey of Love, Rooted in the African-American Tradition.”
Students honored the birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by exploring the power of his words and taking inspiration from his influential “I Have a Dream Speech,” delivered at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963.
“We are an Episcopal school founded to bring together children and families of all racial, socioeconomic, and religious backgrounds,” she said. “One of the crucial aspects of our program is helping children to become people of conscience and compassion. This is not a new endeavor for us—it has been part of our mission since our founding 70 years ago.”
“This is a dark moment that reminds us of the importance of choosing a path of peace. As a community, St. Hilda’s & St. Hugh’s chooses the path of peace and life.”

The class of 2018 continued a tradition of student philanthropy, launching a mini-campaign to make a class gift in honor of their graduation. The class raised $2,414 in one week and is being used to create a test-preparation scholarship for the benefit of a future eighth grade student.
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Parents and faculty from St. Hilda's & St. Hugh's attended an April presentation and discussion facilitated by Dr. Sandra “Chap” Chapman (Director of Equity and Community at Little Red School House and Elisabeth Irwin High School) on “Parenting in the Age of ‘Isms.’”
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Two educators from Symphony Space brought the sounds, rhythms, and movements of African dance to school on Feb. 22, spending a morning with our early childhood and lower school students.
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Student musicians from grades 1-8, including the Brass Band, Chorus, and Instrumental Ensemble honored the legacy of the Harlem Renaissance at St. Hilda’s & St. Hugh’s annual Gospel Celebration.

A second grader stepped up to the lectern at Chapel to share the story of the Jain religion and the ways he and his family practice their faith at home, in school, and when visiting India. “I feel special to be a Jain at St. Hilda’s & St. Hugh’s,” he said.