Our Wildwood, Volume 47

Expand our outstanding academic, athletic, and artistic experiences available K-12.

Create a school climate where all members of the Wildwood community can enjoy a sense of belonging and feel connected to each other and the world.

EXPANDING THE K-12 EXPERIENCE TO CHALLENGE AND PREPARE STUDENTS

FOSTERING INCLUSION, BELONGING, AND WELLBEING

The focus of the first pillar is to expand our outstanding academic, athletic, and artistic experiences available K-12. “The past two years have been challenging, but we have learned a lot about ourselves and about how and why the foundation of Wildwood is strong,” said Christina Kyong, associate head of school. “Looking ahead, we want to ensure that this foundation provides a seamless K-12 experience for all students no matter their entry point so that they can constantly challenge themselves academically, socially, artistically, and physically.” Part of this effort will include integrating the work of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) across culture, curriculum, and programs, including core academic content, arts programming, community involvement and service learning, and the International Community Involvement (ICI) program. It will also involve expanding the influence and reach of Wildwood School’s innovative teaching and learning models, with an eye toward positively impacting education practices before, during, and after the K-12 experience. “K-12 schools are places of change and innovation,” Christina said. “No school can stay stagnant, especially as we have all had to pivot and adjust what classrooms and teaching look like during the pandemic. We must keep evolving.”

The goal of the second pillar is to create a school climate where all members of the Wildwood community can enjoy a sense of belonging and feel connected to each other and the world. According to Karen Dye, director of equity and inclusion, the key to this is deliberately pursuing an “all in, all thrive” philosophy. “As the world continues to shift in fascinating and often challenging ways, we have to continue to reflect, evaluate, and update our practices toward nurturing the wellbeing of all students and adults here,” Karen said. This will include creating and coordinating new wellness and inclusion programs, and bringing related programming, such as Advisory, under one umbrella using a Wellness Center model. Additionally, it will involve expanding the school’s Digital Citizenship Scope and Sequence, and using a mix of in-person, virtual, and hybrid events to promote further inclusion of all families. “The coming years will naturally lead us to consider the lessons of the pandemic, especially as they pertain to the important intersection of our DEIB and wellness work,” Karen said. “The Framework for the Future of Education at Wildwood charges us to continue to seek out new and better ways of supporting all members of our community equitably, according to their diverse needs.”

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OWW SPRING 2022