Community and Belonging

McCallie's commitment to diversity, inclusion, and belonging flows directly from the school's faith commitment and belief that each student entrusted to us is made in God's image, is worthy of dignity and respect, has much to learn, and is called to participate in and contribute to good works at McCallie and beyond. We want McCallie to be a place where every boy can be his true self, and feel valued and included in the community with a true sense of belonging.

As an institution, we have an irrefutable responsibility to ensure that every member of our community – regardless of the color of their skin color, country of origin, ethnic or cultural background, religion, identity, attraction, or sexual orientation – be treated with respect and dignity. Everyone must feel that they belong. Lee Burns ‘87, Head of School

Our Inclusive Community Where Individuals Can Be Themselves

Student Engagement

Providing ways to create welcoming experiences, inclusive discussion, and increased awareness.

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Teaching & Learning

Preparing students with knowledge and skills to thrive as world citizens who make a positive difference.

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Community Involvement

Moving forward together as a community, sharing experiences, culture, and wisdom.

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Student Engagement

Student Development

Head of School Leadership Council

Council on Community and Brotherhood

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.

Alliance for Belonging, Identity, and Brotherhood

group of students doing community service

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.

Black Student Union (BSU)

meeting of the black student union at McCallie — Members of the McCallie BSU

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.

Diversity Club

The Diversity Club strives to be a space where students can share aspects and experience of their own cultures 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 plan and participate in the school-wide Big Blue World Cultural Fair.

Mentorship Opportunities

group of students in the mentoring program on an outing to the movies

In 2020 the Black Alumni Council launched a highly successful mentorship program for students of color. Alumni volunteer their time to meet periodically with their 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 of color. Participation is voluntary.

Sophomore students also have the opportunity to connect with McCallie alumni who volunteer to serve as mentors. Alumni mentors join a network of other faculty, staff, and family members who support the personal and academic development of McCallie students.

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.

The goal of all of McCallie’s mentoring programs is to help students achieve their fullest potential.

Student Leadership & Diversity Conferences

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.

Teaching and Learning

Curriculum

Over the past five years, McCallie has worked to significantly expand space within our curriculum where a much broader range of voices are heard. Current curricular offerings include the following courses:

African American Literature
Literature of Race and Racism
Literature of Gender
American Immigrant Literature
African American History
6th and 9th grade students begin their years with extended units on community and belonging designed to help them understand the value of a diverse and inclusive community and their part in making the school community the strongest and most connected it can be
A number of T-Term courses each January deal with a social justice, community service, equity and inclusion topics and issues

Programming

We believe encountering a range of voices and experiences necessarily makes us wiser, more compassionate, and more aware of our fellow human beings. In addition to the normal classes and clubs, McCallie invites to campus a number of guests to share their stories and insights.

Recent events have included:

Anthony Ray Hinton was our special guest for MLK Day where he spoke to the combined McCallie-GPS student bodies about his decades of unjust incarceration as well as his work with the Innocence Project which led to his being freed
The world renown Fisk Jubilee Singers performed on campus as part of commemorating Black History Month and provided a master class for our choral program participants
The Parent Cultural Committee hosted its first annual Big Blue World Cultural Fair in March of 2023 with over 30 countries represented by members of our McCallie School community
School field trips have included visits to the Human and Civil Rights Museum, MLK Memorial, Morehouse College in Atlanta, the Legacy Museum in Montgomery, AL, and the Civil Rights Institute in Birmingham

Professional Development

We believe it is vital to provide continual training for our faculty on issues of diversity, inclusion, and belonging. Our goal is to help faculty stay focused on the range of student experiences in and outside of class.

Recent professional development opportunities include workshops and inservice days on the following topics:

Unconscious bias and stereotypes
Understanding adolescent identity formation
Demographics of our student body
Essential elements of real relationship and unity
Classroom practices and approaches
How to engage in deliberative discussions on challenging topics
Alumni panels

Specific sessions and learning opportunities have included the following:

training sessions with Eric Dozier ‘87 and Homa Tavanger of OneLab
reading Innocent Classroom which focuses on how to even the playing field in a classroom setting related to biases
the North Carolina Association of Independent Schools’ course entitled “Cultivating Communities of Belonging”
the International Boys School Coalition course on Making Our Schools More Inclusive
Quincy Jenkins from Chattanooga State offering a webinar of case studies regarding best classroom practices and how to address issues that arise
faculty members attending online sessions to better understand support of students in the LGBTQ community
participating in Facing History training with the International Coalition of Boys Schools
administrators attending the Southern Association of Independent Schools Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Professionals conference
McCallie administrators continuing work to provide clear direction and support for faculty handling issues that arise concerning race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation

Diversity Leadership Council

Middle School 101 & Upper School 101

Hiring

Student Demographics

Community Involvement

Black Alumni Council

Formed in May 2020, the Black Alumni Council is composed of black alumni from the classes of 1975-2019. They meet multiple times a year and have made substantive and meaningful contributions to the school’s overall efforts to provide institutional support for faculty and students of color and their families. Through their work, they have connected with over 300 black alumni, reconnecting and engaging them with the school. Their perspectives and wisdom have proved to be invaluable for McCallie’s work in assuring that every student gets the best of their McCallie experience. Some of the objectives they have identified include:

Creating a leadership team of faculty and staff that is representative of the increasingly diverse student body
Creating a culture and climate for diverse students at McCallie to feel heard, understood, and supported
Helping faculty, staff, and school leadership understand and relieve black students from the responsibility of explaining and representing viewpoints of students of color
Providing exposure for black students to HBCU's as a college option
Hosting a year-end recognition to celebrate the accomplishments of our black students
Serving as mentors to current students

Cultural Committee

The Cultural Committee of the Parents Council celebrates all multitudes of races, ethnicities, faith backgrounds, and cultures at McCallie. Their goal is to create opportunities to recognize and celebrate this diversity in order to enrich and strengthen the community as a whole. This committee hosts the New International Families reception and the Big Blue World Cultural Fair. They also work with the broader Parent Council to serve as ambassadors and hosts for McCallie families and students of color.

Community Service

group of boys volunteering at Reflection Ridings

Own IT! - a seven-week program with McCallie middle school students and young men from the Boys and Girls Club working together to build leaders, break down barriers, and learn how much they have in common. This program is part of the Own Your History curriculum created by McCallie alumnus, Bob Eager '63
Brainerd Food Pantry
Each Christmas the Student Council, Leo Club, and TEPS sponsor a drive to collect turkeys for families
Upkeep of the Pleasant Gardens Cemetery, an African American cemetery dating back to the turn of the 20th century
Community Kitchen

Ridgedale Neighborhood Initiative

McCallie is located on the edge of the Ridgedale neighborhood. Students recently launched the McCallie Ridgedale Service Organization to build a strong partnership with the Ridgedale Community Association. Their activities include partnerships with Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise (CNE), local businesses, providing student Spanish translators and food for the monthly neighborhood meetings, hosting an annual Lake Party, and including neighborhood first responders for a meal in the dining hall.

Mentoring Programs

Big Blue World Cultural Fair

group of people getting food at the Big Blue World Fair

The Big Blue World Cultural Fair is an annual school event that celebrates the broad diversity of cultures, races, and ethnicities represented in the McCallie community. Last year over 30 cultures were enthusiastically represented with delicious food, colorful decorations and dress, dance and musical performances, and deep pride in customs and heritages.

Strategic Planning

As a part of our strategic planning process led by the McCallie Board of Trustees, diversity, inclusion, and belonging is an important topic being examined.

McCallie has also recently received the data from the Authentic Connections survey which all students took in February 2023. The survey was wide ranging, and while it did not focus exclusively on issues of inclusion, we have begun a thorough process for understanding how we can use the data to strengthen our community. While we were pleased to see in the data many indicators of a strong community as a whole and among different demographic groups, we have begun the process of carefully studying areas for improvement. That process will include hiring a consultant to review the data through a diversity and inclusion lens and then make recommendations, along with further review and recommendations by administrators and groups of faculty.

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Community and Belonging

Our Inclusive Community Where Individuals Can Be Themselves

Student Engagement

Teaching & Learning

Community Involvement

Student Engagement

Student Development

Head of School Leadership Council

Council on Community and Brotherhood

Alliance for Belonging, Identity, and Brotherhood

Black Student Union (BSU)

Diversity Club

Mentorship Opportunities

Student Leadership & Diversity Conferences

Teaching and Learning

Curriculum

Programming

Professional Development

Diversity Leadership Council

Middle School 101 & Upper School 101

Hiring

Student Demographics

Community Involvement

Black Alumni Council

Cultural Committee

Community Service

Ridgedale Neighborhood Initiative

Mentoring Programs

Big Blue World Cultural Fair

Strategic Planning