DIVERSITY AND INCLUSIONWe believe excellent education starts by respecting and celebrating all students, their diverse family backgrounds, and the life experience they bring to the community. At VIA, we strive to nurture a diverse and inclusive environment that affirms and supports our multicultural, international community, inclusive of race, ethnicity, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, ability, and socioeconomic class. We believe that by appreciating diverse cultures and myriad schools of thought, we enrich the lives of all students, find commonalities in our shared humanity, and build empathy for people who are different. We continually strive to attract and support a diverse faculty and staff who bring a wide range of experience to the community and into the classroom. By explicitly affirming the identity of all students through culturally responsive pedagogy, we hope to simultaneously build trust, make learning exciting and fun, and support students as they develop self-confidence. As numerous studies show, students who are self-confident are more likely to reach their social and academic potential. We hope to create an environment that is inclusive, anti-bias, and supports all students so they can feel free to be themselves. |
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