Culture & Inclusivity at Colorado Academy

Colorado Academy is a community that cultivates student voice, respects individualism, and fosters learning.

Students, faculty, and parents describe a school culture that cares deeply and is supportive of one another. The Pre-K through Grade 12 interaction among students is key to the school’s emphasis on the joy of learning. We are an institution that values collaboration and creativity, and thus are mindful of the never-ending work of building understanding, teaching empathy, and expecting civility.

Curriculum

The Director of Inclusivity works with faculty in each division to create a curriculum design process that is guided by inclusive principles. Faculty present multiple social, national, historical, cultural, and political perspectives in their classes, and topics are explored across disciplines, from academics to the arts.

PlatFORUM
PlatFORUM, a full-day Upper School conference celebrating different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences, is held annually at Colorado Academy. Students, teachers, community leaders, and experienced presenters deliver interactive, inclusive, and engaging workshops. The goals of PlatFORUM are to: redefine diversity; promote self-reflection; share experiences of culture and tradition; provide language and tools to engage in conversations around social justice, equity, and access; gain understanding; and build community. Plat-FORUM plays on the word “platform,” a place or opportunity for public discussion, combined with the word “forum,” which etymologically derives from the place of assembly in an ancient Roman city, considered to be the center of all judicial and business affairs. At CA, it is designed to be a time and place to share voices, experiences, and ideas around issues of social justice and inclusivity that will move us from dialogue into action. The goal is to promote conversation and dialogue, rather than the imposition of a particular viewpoint. Discussion topics address at least one or more areas of diversity and its intersection with leadership, politics, law, music, art, well-being, culture, relationships, social justice, education, or history.

Outreach

We are a private school that embraces what we see as our public purpose and greater role in our community. The public is invited to numerous events and forums on campus, including our well-known SPEAK lecture series. CA is also home to Horizons, an enrichment program serving low-income students from Denver Public Schools.

CA Board of Trustees' Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Sarah Wright

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Director of Inclusivity

CA’s Director of Inclusivity provides leadership in areas of inclusive excellence, mentoring, support for students and families, and resource development for faculty and staff. Within each division, faculty members also work as coordinators of age-specific inclusivity work.

The school encourages student participation and presentation in national and local leadership training, including the Students of Diversity Leadership Conference, the National People of Color Conference, the CIRCLE and STAMP student leadership conferences, and more.

Contact Sarah:
(303) 914-2590

sarah.wright@coloradoacademy.org
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Ohio State University, BS
University of California at Berkeley, MA
At CA Since: 2019

Sarah Wright joined Colorado Academy as Director of Inclusivity in Fall 2019. Wright came to CA from Miami Country Day School, where she worked as a Lead Teacher for Fifth Grade and was the founder and leader of the school’s Global Equity and Inclusion Board. She also has worked at The Logan School in Denver and the Phoenix Community Learning Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Wright is an experienced educational leader; she is a subject-matter expert, both in curriculum development and in designing and implementing strategies and around inclusion and equity. Among her specialized training and certifications, Wright has attended the NAIS School Leadership Institute, as well as the Multicultural Leadership Institute. Additionally, she is certified in the Orton-Gillingham reading method, has obtained multiple subject teaching credentials (K-5) and preliminary multiple subject teaching credentials (K-6). She is an experienced facilitator in diversity and equity issues and has more than 100 hours of professional development in working with gifted and exceptional children.