Diversity and Inclusion - American Overseas School of Rome - International School

Diversity and Inclusion

Together, we at AOSR understand that the issues we are facing around diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) are far-reaching.  We are committed to honoring our diverse community and to cultivating a school culture in which every member feels safe, seen, heard, and treated with dignity.

A message from the Head of School

The current events in the United States and the global issues of racism, sexism and intolerance of others call for a new paradigm of action in education. AOSR has a 73 year history of serving the international community.  While our primary belief statement honors the dignity and worth of each person in our community, we recognize that the ideals listed within our belief statements require ongoing attention, dedication and active engagement.  We are all responsible for living the beliefs we espouse, which includes actively teaching not just the what, but the how of social justice.  This means that we will continue to confront racist and misogynistic attitudes, comments, and behavior. As a faculty and staff, we will continue to educate our students, and ourselves, to identify and act against intolerance and injustice through our curriculum, student voices, and specifically, through our own modeling of anti-racist, anti-sexist behavior.

As the new Head of School to AOSR, I have heard countless positive views of the inclusive international community, and I do wish to celebrate the school's historic and ongoing sense of community and respect for differences.  Nevertheless, it is important that our community continues to embody our AOSR Belief Statement of Respect:

Respect:

We believe that the dignity and worth of each person in our community must be honored. Guided by honesty and integrity, we build respect, acceptance, and appreciation of ourselves and others.

We welcome and encourage dialogue on these issues, as it is through the open exchange of ideas that we develop a mutual understanding and a continually evolving community.

Dr. Kristen DiMatteo

Head of School 

American Overseas School of Rome 

  • The above statement was drafted by Dr.  Kristen DiMatteo, with support from the AOSR Chair of the Board of Trustees.  We plan to include student voice and leadership in our plans for addressing respect, diversity and inclusion during each school year.  We will continue to engage and share with the AOSR community this critical and ongoing work.
AOSR's strength is our multi cultural community