Community and Belonging

The Head of School meets regularly with a group of senior student leaders to talk with them about their ideas and perspectives on McCallie, including how to create the strongest sense of community in which all students feels that they are respected, valued, heard, and included.

The Council on Community and Brotherhood is a group of students who help promote a close knit school community characterized by respect and kindness so that every student feels he is valued and belongs. This council consists of:

• representatives from the Senate and Keo-Kio
• representatives selected from the sophomore, junior, and senior classes after a process of application and review, 
• faculty advisors

The council offers ideas, including for specific programs, practices, and policies, that build a community consistent with McCallie’s ideals and standards. On the occasions when our community standards may potentially have been violated by a student, the council may be asked to consider the potential infraction and recommend to the administration consequences and a course of action for the student(s). Members of the council commit to being positive role models regarding conduct and adherence to school policies and overall decorum.

The Alliance for Belonging, Identity and Brotherhood is a forum for students to foster a strong school community in which every student can feel that he belongs, is valued, and treated with respect, dignity, and equality. It is a safe place where students can discuss different aspects of their identity, including but not limited to their sexual identity and orientation, and where students can listen to, learn from, and show support and empathy toward their fellow students. All upper school students are welcome to join the alliance. 

The Black Student Union (BSU) serves as an inviting place for any upper school student, but especially our black students to gather and share their stories, experiences, and perspectives. A range of activities from celebrating Black History achievements & accomplishments, serving meals at Hope for the Inner City Banquet, cleaning up Pleasant Gardens Cemetery, and participating in the alumni mentor program allow students to develop a deeper understanding of how their voices can be heard and affirmed in the larger McCallie community. The BSU in conjunction with the Black Alumni Council hosts a ceremony each spring to recognize and celebrate black students about to graduate.

The Diversity Club is a space where students can share aspects and experience of their culture and learn about the heritage and cultures of their peers. Any student is welcome. Meetings typically have 40+ students who enjoy listening to a  student sharing about his home country, his family's country of heritage, and places where he has traveled. Presentations are frequently accompanied by traditional foods. Examples of recent discussions include learning about the differences between northern and southern Indian cuisine, a recounting of a student's trip to visit family in Romania, and a hot-pot meal. The Diversity Club helps organize the Big Blue World Cultural Fair during Family Weekend.

Alumni volunteer their time to meet with mentees to share their experience, wisdom, and encouragement on how to make one's way through the worlds of high school, college, and beyond. Gatherings sometimes include mentees’ parents as a way of helping form a strong sense of community for McCallie’s families. Participation is voluntary.

The 11th Grade-8th Grade Mentoring program allows juniors to continue developing their character and leadership outside of the classroom and bettering the McCallie community by investing time in an 8th-grade student in order to help them prepare for and navigate high school. The older students offer insights and perspective for the younger students and all engage in scheduled activities and programming.  

McCallie sends students and faculty sponsors each year to the NAIS Student Leadership and Diversity Conference sponsored by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). This impactful conference attracts student leaders from around the country who enjoy an inclusive and safe space to come together and discuss issues related to awareness, being an ally to marginalized groups, and diverse community-building. They engage in educational workshops about their own identities, enhancing cross-cultural communication skills, and developing effective strategies for implementing better diversity and inclusion practices at their schools.

Students and faculty also participate in the Tearing Down the Walls Conference which focuses on race and leadership in independent schools across the Southeast. This three-day conference is held annually at Ensworth School in Nashville. The knowledge and skills acquired by both faculty and students enable them to consider the meaningful ways they might engage in conversations about race.