By Joanna Im ’20

Associate Director of Admission Janine Jones was named the school’s first Interim Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion by School President Rick Commons. The school’s Organization for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion was created on March 21, to create more equitable school policies and revise old ones.
Jones will continue to serve as the Interim Director until July 2018, when someone will officially step into the permanent role.
Jones spoke of what she sees ahead for the position and the school.
“I think the possibilities are endless – we are going to be able to affect so many different areas of the school. Not just numbers and more diverse bodies, but also ways to make people feel included and welcomed in the classroom: How are subjects being taught and which textbooks are used? How are students treated in class? […] This would be the first position of this type here at school. And so I will be looking at the ways HW can be a more diverse, more inclusive place for every single student, parent, faculty and staff,” Jones said.
Although there are no specific policies that the new group has created, Jones said that she thinks the organization has potential to not only change who gets accepted into the school, but can also focus on increasing inclusive educational programs and methods. Additionally, Jones said she is determined to not only promote equity in the student community, but also the parent and faculty aspects of the school.
“We will be able to educate the parent body, and look at programming on campus to bring different ideas and topics to campus and look at the character piece of education, and not just academics,” Jones said.