Service Learning, Civic Engagement, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Students working on project together

ETHICAL EXPERIENCE

In This Section

Character at the Heart

Who you become is just as important as what you learn, and what you do with it. That belief is woven into every part of school life, from classrooms to community partnerships, guiding students as they grow into thoughtful, empathetic, and principled human beings.

This work isn’t confined to a single class or initiative. It’s embedded in our culture. Our teachers model ethical decision-making. Our advisory program creates space for honest conversations about values, identity, and community. And our students engage deeply with each other and the wider world to learn what it means to do good, not just do well.

Students sitting at a lunch table together

GROWING TOGETHER

Ethical growth at Greenhills also happens in quiet, daily moments. In the way students treat one another in the hallway. In honest discussions about fairness and responsibility. In classroom debates where multiple truths are explored with respect.

We don’t give students a script to follow; we give them a foundation, a community, and a model of what it looks like to live with integrity. We help them find their voices and use them wisely. We help them understand that being a good person isn’t a fixed trait—it’s a lifelong practice.

 Students playing board game

A Diverse Community of Backgrounds, Identities, and Experiences

We are home to students from dozens of ZIP codes in and around Ann Arbor, including Ypsilanti, Plymouth, Northville, Canton, Saline, Chelsea, Dexter, Brighton, Dearborn, Belleville, Novi, and many more. Each student enriches our community with their unique racial and ethnic identities, gender identities, socio-economic backgrounds, abilities, religions, and sexualities.

Athletics students on field

  
Diversity Symposium

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

CULTIVATING COMPASSION. HONORING DIFFERENCES. ENCOURAGING EQUITY.

Students participate in affinity groups, learn from guest speakers and workshops, and engage in a curriculum that reflects a range of perspectives. Faculty receive ongoing training to help foster inclusive, identity-affirming classrooms. And the work doesn’t stop there—our entire community is encouraged to think critically, speak thoughtfully, and act with empathy.
OUR GUIDING DIVERSITY STATEMENT
The promotion of diversity is essential to the ethos and practices of Greenhills School. We believe that people from all races, cultures, socio-economic backgrounds, genders, abilities, religions, and sexualities are sources of strength that enrich teaching and learning. We strive to build a diverse learning community by actively valuing individual experiences, ideas, and talents.

THE DEI TEAM

NADINE HALL

Director of Diversity,
Equity, and Inclusion

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KELLY WILLIAMS

Associate Director of Diversity,
Equity, and Inclusion

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LAUREN YAVOR

DEI Associate

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DEI IN ACTION

The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) designs innovative, student-centered programming in order to promote acceptance and awareness of all forms of diversity within our community and our world.

Teaching and Learning Support
 
  • Assisting teachers with lesson planning and are thought-partners for engaging in difficult conversations with students.
  • Working with teachers on how to audit their courses and implement pedagogical and curricular changes that promote culturally responsive teaching and reality pedagogy.
  • Serving as a sounding board for ideas about how to improve the school environment for historically marginalized students.
  • Recruiting, supporting, and retaining faculty, staff, and students who identify as historically underrepresented groups.
Student Opportunities and Experiences
 
  • Creating opportunities and spaces that prioritize student voices, validate their experiences, and enable them to contribute to improving the school community for all. Students may join clubs, such as the Gender & Sexuality Alliance and Students Organized Against Racism, as well as affinity groups, like the Black Student Affinity Alliance and the Hispanic & Latinx Organization.
  • Offering support and coaching techniques to aid students in their interactions with each other and teachers.
  • Providing opportunities for upper school students to participate in DEI-focused national conferences, such as NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference.
Program Highlights
 
  • Annual Diversity Symposium Series
    This is a time for incredible workshops, powerful guest speakers, and thoughtful choice boards centered on diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice.
  • Middle School Diversity Workshops
    A series of developmentally appropriate workshops for students that will help them learn to celebrate differences and increase their fluency and comfort with one another.
  • 15+ Affinity Groups Across Middle and Upper School
    These groups bring students together based on a shared identity, such as race/ethnicity, religion, sexuality, gender identity, etc.
  • Pronoun/Name Update Protocol for Students
    Our community supports each student’s own understanding of their identity and we honor the names and pronouns they chose to use while at school.
  • Adrian Wade Wright Memorial Basketball Tournament
    This annual event for middle schoolers honors the memory of a former Greenhills student whose parents established a diversity fund in his name.
  • DEI-Focused Professional Development Workshops for Faculty and Staff
    Interactive resources for faculty and staff to explore, develop, and increase their skills as it relates to DEI.
  • Equity and Inclusion Training for Athletic Coaches
    DEI resources explicitly curated for sports coaches.
  • Diversity & Hiring Anti-Bias Workshop for Department Chairs
    Resources to hire and retain faculty of color.

Civic Engagement and Service

SERVICE LEARNING WITH PURPOSE

Students leave Greenhills with more than just knowledge; they leave with a desire to contribute and know how to participate. That’s why our service learning program emphasizes meaningful engagement. Whether tutoring younger students, supporting local nonprofits, or organizing drives for global relief efforts, Greenhills students learn to lead with compassion and act with purpose.

Service isn’t a box to check—it’s an invitation to connect. To understand lives different from your own. To see how your skills and talents can make a real difference.

Interweaving social justice, education, leadership skills, local and global activism, and mentoring, Greenhills creates opportunities for the entire student body to come together and give back to our surrounding communities throughout the year.

Student Leaders in Civic Engagement (SLICE)
Students have the opportunity to dive deep into civic engagement by planning events and activities, including service days, pathway adventures, school events, and more.
All-School Service Days

Service learning combines academic study, civic engagement and practical experience. In order to promote deeper engagement for service events, on each of the two annual service days, half of the student body will travel off-site to volunteer with one of our Detroit partnership organizations while the other half will remain local to participate in civic engagement learning experiences on campus and at local organizations. 
Pathway Adventures
Local extensions throughout the year offer supplemental learning experiences in the areas of community empowerment, housing crisis, food insecurity, environmental justice, and equity and education. Examples include a weekend morning volunteering at Food Gatherers, a community book read and discussion, and a brown bag lecture series.
Middle School Service Ninjas
Throughout the year, middle school students have opportunities to concentrate on extracurricular service work in the community as Middle School Service Ninjas.

Graduates Who Will Better the World

Our graduates leave Greenhills prepared for college, prepared for life, and prepared to make a difference. They are bridge-builders, upstanders, and changemakers who are ready to lead with kindness, fairness, and integrity. 

Take the next step now

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Take the next step now

Inquire Visit Apply