Welcome to the Diversity Department home page. For additional information, please contact our department chair - Ms. Kitty Hooper at kitty.hooper@ignatius.org. For a complete faculty and staff contact list, please visit our Contact Info page.

What does the Diversity Coordinator Do?

The role of the Diversity Coordinator is to provide, facilitate and support programming for diversity education in the Saint Ignatius community. This is accomplished through leadership of the ISEED student group, in collaboration with various student groups, faculty committees, and external organizations, and through participation in outside events and speaking forums. Several key Saint Ignatius programs that the Diversity Coordinator shares responsibility for are Mix-It-Up Day, Ethnic Week, Festival of Nations, and Diversity Dialogues.

What is Diversity at Saint Ignatius?

Diversity is more than skin deep. Although most people assume that diversity refers to addressing issues for people of non-Caucasian background, ethnicity is one aspect of diversity. The umbrella of diversity refers to issues with regard to ethnicity, race, language, religion, gender, socioeconomic background, sexual orientation, body image, appearance, personality, intellectual ability, physical ability, and political beliefs.

What are the Goals of Diversity at Saint Ignatius?

• Increase open discussion of diversity issues among students, faculty, and parents.
• To be active participants in CORE and JSEA sponsored activities.
• Create opportunities for all members of the school community to show and develop greater respect and appreciation for differences.
• To increase collaboration between diversity themed student groups (ethnic, gender and social justice student groups).
• In conjunction with the 5 Grad At Grad Principles, to instill a life-long commitment to diversity in members of the St. Ignatius community.

Community DIVERSITY

• Students come from every neighborhood of Chicago, the surrounding suburbs, and even Northwest Indiana
• The gender makeup is approximately 50% female, 50% male
• Approximately 10% of students hail from Christian, Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist religious traditions
• Over 31% of our students are of Asian, African-American, and Latino background

Diversity in the Curriculum

Various courses at Saint Ignatius help students learn about and understand other cultures, religions, and economic backgrounds.

• World History
• World Religions
• World Literature
• Spanish, French, Latin/Greek
• Urban Studies
• African American History 2007-2008

Diversity Events in the Saint Ignatius Community

• Bimonthly Diversity Dialogues (Saint Ignatius College Prep)
  Topics have covered Jena 6, Socioeconomic Status, What is Diversity?
• October 2007
  Anti-Defamation League’s Unity Through Diversity Conference (Chicago)
  Mix-It Up Day (Saint Ignatius College Prep)
  Chicago Jesuit Diversity Conference (Saint Ignatius College Prep)
• November 2007
  Hunger Awareness Month, Hunger Banquet (Saint Ignatius College Prep)
  Anti-Defamation League Youth Leadership Mission (Washington D.C.)
  School of the Americas Protest (Georgia)
• December 2007
  World AIDS Day
  Christopher Christmas (Christopher School, CPS)
  Christmas Around the World (Saint Ignatius College Prep)
  Feed the Peace (Saint Ignatius College Prep)
• January 2008
  Martin Luther King Day (Saint Ignatius College Prep)
  Club Asia Festival (Saint Ignatius College Prep)
• February 2008
  Middle Passage’s Anthology
  Admissions Diversity Reception (Saint Ignatius College Prep)
• April 2008
  Ethnic Week and Festival of Nations (Saint Ignatius College Prep)
  National Jesuit Schools Diversity Conference (Denver, Colorado)

Student Organization

ISEED