Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

We embrace the diversity of our international learning community with a commitment to open dialogue, risk-taking and challenges to the status quo. At Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart we understand that in order for young women to be confident, empowered and responsible, we must provide safe learning spaces where understanding is fostered through open dialogue, trust is built though mutual respect, and risk-taking is valued among all members of our school community. We are proud to be the Seattle area all-girls school pioneering the way in a private school experience built on these qualities. 

Diversity in all of its forms is a pathway, not a destination.

The identifiable results of a diverse and inclusive community are:

• Together we foster open, respectful conversations about differences
• Together we commit to providing a safe environment for these conversations
• As individuals we practice respect for interests, opinions and perspectives outside of our own world views
• As individuals and as a community we work together to deepen our cultural understandings
• Together we perpetuate an informed network of alumnae equipped to be actively engaged in a multicultural world

In the process of developing a truly diverse and inclusive Forest Ridge community, we call all members to:

• Reflect on our individual approaches to diversity and inclusion

• Recognize how we benefit from the talents and experiences of others

• Assess our own limitations and grow from there

• Create the circumstances and resources by which all members feel included

• Become honor-bound in receiving and respecting differences so that we can speak, work, teach and learn free of intolerance and harassment

Consistent with our Mission and emanating directly from our Sacred Heart Goals and Criteria, the diversity of our school challenges each member of our community to:

• Understand and develop a personal authenticity in the company of other unique individuals
• Critically analyze the power structures that elevate and suppress particular differences
• Listen to oneself and others as well as accept and respect differences
• Become accountable for her own biases, historical limitations and privilege

2022-2023 Equity & Inclusion Speaker Series

Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, in partnership with other local independent schools, is proud to offer the 2022-2023 Equity & Inclusion Speaker Series to our community. As a Catholic, independent, Sacred Heart school, rooted in the Society’s foundational principle of “cor unum et anima una”, meaning one heart and one soul, we believe that all people are made in the image and likeness of God and therefore must be held as equal, valued and unconditionally loved. We embrace diversity as a core characteristic of our Catholic identity and we strive to build a community characterized by inclusion and mutual respect. This speaker series is shared with our community as a resource in support of the continued learning and deepened dialogue about topics that are often challenging and uncomfortable, but critical to the growth of ourselves and of our society. 

Motivated by the belief that building and nurturing relationships matter for a strong community, Forest Ridge believes that the work of inclusion and equity is everyone's work, and is committed to cultivating systems, structures, and practices founded on these values.