Our mission at The Seattle School is to serve God and neighbor through transforming relationships. The connections we form with one another are what sustain us amidst our learning and vocations. In order to cultivate a context that allows students to get to know one another, build trust, and engage as their full selves, the Student & Academic Services team (SAS) supports student-led spaces for co-creating community and support. During your time as a student at The Seattle School, as you become more fully you in your learning, we will become more fully us as a learning community.
We believe that the best way to learn the art of leadership is not merely through the obtaining and executing of good information and technique but through embodiment – entering into the wild drama and dance of pursuing life with one another on behalf of others. Each of you brings a richness of vision, ability, and desire. Embracing the fullness of you you are, we invite you to participate and to create on behalf of The Seattle School community. Student life at The Seattle School is a living collage reflecting the vision, interests, passions, and personalities of the students here.
Student Groups at The Seattle School are peer-facilitated communities designed to connect and resource students in relation to their shared interests or identity. There will be opportunities for our new students to begin exploring student groups during Community Weekend and Fall Residency. We are currently looking for students interested in co-facilitating some of these groups. If you would like to get involved, contact Becca (rshirley@theseattleschool.edu) or Ligaya (lavila@theseattleschool.edu).
Underrepresented student groups are spaces wherein students gather with others who share similar experiences and perspectives related to their underrepresented culture and/or identity. We know that it can be costly and exhausting to engage in contexts where one is underrepresented. Student group gatherings offer space for processing, conversation, and deepening connections. These groups expand students’ networks of support, help students to grow their capacity to learn and thrive in relation to their culture or identity, and provide resources for engaging in learning spaces and future professional contexts. We currently have groups centered around the following three areas of underrepresented experience: Race/Ethnicity; Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity; and Ability / Neurodiversity / Living with Chronic Pain.
Interest-based student groups allow students to cultivate connections based on shared areas of interest. These groups ebb and flow depending on student desire and capacity. We currently have one active interest-based student group called Sage, which gathers students who are returning to school later in life, after a long time away, often while caring for their families or aging parents. Examples of interest groups from the past include an Artists’ Council, Lit (student print publication), and Eagle & Child for Theology students.
Student Leadership is a team of students who volunteer to serve the student body as a whole, and meet on a weekly basis. This team is not elected, but open to all who have a heart to serve and cultivate community together. Our mission is to foster student engagement in our learning community by facilitating collaboration, conversation, and mutuality among students, staff, and faculty. We practice active listening, turning towards one another, and cultivating trust and belonging in all our shared spaces. We seek to recruit a diverse team that represents as much of the student body as possible. Student Leadership hosts seasonal gatherings like Fall Vespers, ad hoc conversations and annual community-wide events like Spring Banquet. Anyone interested in joining Student Leadership can do so at two points in the year: in August, and in January. The initial term of commitment is one academic year from the month during which one has started. For more conversation about student leadership, email studentleadership@theseattleschool.edu or at Becca (rshirley@theseattleschool.edu).
Current Student Leadership Team
Becky Alcantar – 3rd-year MACP-LR, lives in Green Bay, Wisconsin
Britt Gowen – 3rd-year MACP-LR, lives in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania
Sarah High – 3rd-year MACP-LR, lives in Lynchburg, Virginia
Abram Johnson – 2nd-year MACP-OC, lives in Seattle, Washington
Heidi Marsh – 2nd-year MATC-AR, lives in Mukilteo, Washington
Michelle Peiker – 3rd-year MACP-OC, lives in Seattle, Washington
Allison Picini – 2nd-year MACP-LR, lives in Norfolk, Virginia
Tam Simms – 2nd-year MACP-LR, lives in Vashon, Washington
Cynthia Webb – 3rd-year MACP-LR, lives in Trabuco Canyon, California
Emme Wagner – 2nd-year MACP- LR, lives in Boise, Idaho
The Student Leadership team is eager to meet you and we are planning some fun opportunities for students to get to know one another during Community Week and Fall Residency September 11-14! Look for us in the blue t-shirts around campus on September 11!