Inclusion at Cate

Cate is dedicated to creating a community that is inclusive, welcoming, and fosters a sense of belonging for all students. Specific programming through curriculum, residential life, and advisory intentionally integrate topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion into the fabric of a Cate education. This takes the form of affinity-based groups, an all-gender dormitory option in their second year, faculty-guided community conversations, and ongoing, year-round community celebrations.

Fostering an inclusive community begins with the dedication and diversity of our faculty and staff. Cate employees reflect a wide range of backgrounds and expertise, providing both ‘windows’ and ‘mirrors’ to our students—offering new perspectives while affirming their identities. We are committed to employing the most effective hiring practices to ensure our adult community can guide and support our diverse student body. Throughout the year, our faculty and staff engage in professional development and come together as a community, continually enhancing their ability to serve our students with excellence and care.

Cate is led and governed by people who know and love boarding schools. Trustees at Cate volunteer their time, talent, and resources to the School’s progress at every level, and engage in meaningful work through committees, professional development and training, alumni engagement and relations work, and policy setting for the institution.

At Cate School, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) work is integral to our mission because we recognize that productive citizenship and academic excellence are impossible without intercultural competency. While DEI work at Cate has historically focused on increasing racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity amongst students and faculty, our efforts now also provide the skills and competencies that will allow all stakeholders to thrive in increasingly diverse environments, beginning with the one we are constructing at Cate.

Cate’s approach is to “meet students where they are,” and ensure, through education and practice, that they graduate with the foundational skills necessary to support identity development and expression, excel in institutions of higher learning, and succeed in the 21st-century workplace. This approach embodies Cate’s mission as an educational institution rooted not only in character development but in skill building. Likewise, faculty cultural competency is evaluated during the hiring process and then supported and evaluated at regular intervals as part of Cate’s ongoing professional development. Continually honing these skills is essential to ensuring that each member of the Cate community feels a genuine sense of belonging and is able to achieve their greatest growth.

To that end, the realization of Cate’s mission relies upon a community-wide, skills-based framework that acknowledges the centrality of DEI competency to teaching, professionalism and collaboration, and, for students, meaningful interpersonal connections and post-secondary success. This framework is important because one can value difference immensely and never become interculturally competent. Put simply, awareness and sensitivity must be augmented with greater knowledge of myriad cultures, ideologies, faiths, and ways of living and the practical tools that will enable the most proactive and inclusive behaviors.

At Cate, we often talk about the deep sense of community that attends the “spirit of this place.” While the “spirit” manifests in many ways, it is rooted in the full recognition of the dignity of each person. We encourage everyone at Cate to share their background, interests, identities, and beliefs so that we can collectively work to broaden our perspectives, deepen our capacity for empathy, and strengthen our resilience. In doing so, we can continue the daily work of creating and building community.