Dear CCS Community,
We are a school that strives to teach young men and women a Biblical worldview so that they can impact the culture for Christ. The recent events in our country and amongst our community are an opportunity for us to teach our students as well as our employees. I know that I have certainly learned a lot over the last few weeks and I am so thankful for the alumni who have reached out to me and sat down with me to talk about their experiences at Charlotte Christian. As Christ-followers and educators it is incumbent for us to do our part in ending racism. A complete education entails seeking understanding while fostering healthy discussion, and then returning to God's word to illuminate what we are learning and studying.
The leadership team and I are aware of and monitoring the various accounts on social media that are sharing experiences of current and past students. Please know that we aim to learn from what is being posted; however, we do not feel social media is the proper venue for us to respond.
As an institution, we are learning from our diverse families and making appropriate changes to ensure our school is a safe environment for everyone. Here is a list of programs that are already in place and other steps we will be taking in the coming months to address the recent events:
Racism on Campus
At the beginning of the school year, the principals will remind the students in their divisions about the school's policy on racism (found in the family handbook) and reiterate that acts of racism will not be tolerated on campus. My heart continues to be broken by the memories our alumni are sharing on social media. The goal of our discipline program is to change behavior and there are certainly behaviors that need to be changed. We will clarify with our students what is considered an act of racism. It is imperative that the administration be made aware of incidents of racism in a timely manner so we can conduct a thorough investigation and then respond with the appropriate discipline measures.
Reporting
In the coming weeks, the division principals will be working on safe ways for students to share concerns or incidents of racism on campus. We want all of our students to feel compelled and safe in reporting situations that are uncomfortable or inappropriate. These structures will be explained to the students at the beginning of school as we believe these will be different for each division in order to be developmentally appropriate.
Alumni of Color Advisory Council
I am thrilled that we have already hosted one meeting of a group of recent graduates who are willing to share their perspective on the school and how we seek to grow and improve. The alumni council has representation starting from the class of 2011 to a current senior and will meet at least quarterly in the coming year with me and other members of the school's senior staff. They will be asked to share their candid opinions, engage in robust dialogue, advise us on strategic direction, and meet with the board of trustees.
Director of Diversity
I have begun the process of researching the hiring of a Director of Diversity. I have contacted numerous peer schools, both Christian and non-faith based, to review their organizational charts and role of similar positions on their campus. In the coming weeks, I will create a job description and profile for this position at Charlotte Christian. After the due diligence, we will begin the recruitment process while praying that God directs our steps to the person that He knows will best serve our community.
Focus Groups
During the 2020-21 school year, I will host specific focus groups with students of color as well as parents of color to update them on our school progress on the initiatives outlined in this letter, but also to ask for their recent experiences on campus. Over the past 10 years, student and parent focus groups have been instrumental in aligning our school with the mission. I value the opportunity for these meetings which allow time for candid conversations.
Trustee & Employee Summer Reading - Uncommon Ground
All trustees and employees this summer are reading Tim Keller's and John Inuza's book, Uncommon Ground. A collection of diverse authors wrote the various chapters of the book and it calls the reader to consider their own story and biases while also calling us to the Gospel of Jesus Christ as our common ground. When our employees return to campus in August, we will spend a considerable time reviewing the book and what we each learned from the reading. We want to understand each other's backgrounds and stories, but more importantly respect and acknowledge the diversity of our student body and families. Our conversations will continue throughout the school year.
Employee Diversity Training with Dr. Walter Strickland
All teachers will participate in diversity training this August with Dr. Walter Strickland. Dr. Strickland is an assistant professor of systematic and contextual theology and associate vice president of diversity at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C. Dr. Strickland has worked with several other Christian institutions including some of our peer schools around the country. Along with being a diversity consultant, frequent conference speaker, and itinerant preacher, Dr. Strickland is an associate Research Fellow of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), and his work has appeared in The Gospel Project, Canon and Culture (of the ERLC), the Gospel Coalition, the Biblical Recorder, Christianity Today, Baptist Press, and World Magazine among other media outlets. He has contributed to, edited, and authored multiple books in his areas of research interest. We anticipate working with Dr. Strickland on an ongoing basis.
NCAIS Diversity Conference
Over the past two years, close to 20 upper school faculty have attended the North Carolina Association of Independent School diversity conference. At the conference the teachers participated in seminars and discussions with their colleagues that intentionally and meaningfully explored the topic of diversity across diverse perspectives, privileges, bias, and experiences. The conference provided the teachers with the tools to help foster and affirm a growth mindset and create inclusive classrooms and school communities.
Student Summer Reading
Last school year, a committee of faculty members in the upper school reviewed the required summer reading for our students. As a result of the committee's work several new books were chosen that included a more diverse group of authors. In the 11th and 12th grade, the objective is to introduce books and themes that our students may encounter on college campuses. When our students return to campus, our faculty will engage them in conversation in their English classes as well as in advisories.
More Than Just Dinner
This past January, as part of our parent education program, the More Than Just Dinner program was successfully launched. This program was initiated by 10 CCS moms who greatly benefited from a supper group that was intentionally diverse. After an initial meeting, seven new groups were formed and began to meet and despite COVID-19 many groups are continuing to meet and have purposeful dialogue about Biblical racial reconciliation. If anyone is interested in joining a new group that forms in August, please contact Lisa Giller at lb.giller@gmail.com. In addition, we will explore the opportunity to have similar voluntary groups for our older students called "More Than Just Lunch."
Strategic Plan
Our 2025 strategic plan includes the following initiatives. In the coming months, we will work on the path and process to best accomplish these important initiatives.
- Hire team members whose education, church home, previous experiences, and/or demographics create greater diversity in each division and/or department.
- Review the current curriculum, JK-12, and confirm that diverse representation is included in displays, assigned readings and instruction.
At Charlotte Christian we will continue to teach, to learn, and to change. I have learned a lot over the past few weeks and I am reminded of the Apostle Paul's words in Ephesians 2, verses 4 and 5, "But God being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ." God's mercy is indeed rich and through his great love may we as a community be alive together and united for Christ's sake and for His purposes.
God Bless,
Barry Giller
Head of School