Student Affinity and Alliance Groups

Student-initiated groups guided and supported by faculty advisers provide a safe space for participants to identify salient issues and common concerns through dialogue, using individual voices to bring about affirmation, fellowship, connection and empowerment.

Affinity groups at SPS allow students to explore crucial issues of identity, equity, joy and restoration. They are opt-in, comfortable spaces for students to discuss their experiences, support the experiences of others and build leadership skills critical to the daily health of our school community. Gatherings of affinity groups often focus on food, fun and fellowship. Programs, events and activities that center affinity groups are educational opportunities for the SPS community.

Alliance Groups at St. Paul’s School bring together a group of people who have a shared interest and/or commitment to an identifier group (e.g. race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, etc.). Alliance groups are for individuals who identify as members of the group and/or as people who support and stand in solidarity with that group. Programs, events, and activities that center alliance groups are educational and empowering opportunities for the SPS community.

Asian Society

The Asian Society at SPS is an affinity group for students who identify as Asian or Asian American. This is a space where students can feel the familiarity of those who identify as they do. The group is centered around the sharing of stories, the discussion of events, the celebration of Asian holidays, and the sharing of Asian food and culture. The group’s goal is to share in the celebration of Asian culture with each other and the greater SPS community.

Chinese Society

The SPS Chinese Society alliance group’s mission is to enrich our School’s cultural landscape by introducing the vibrant traditions and rich heritage of Chinese culture. Our group is dedicated to sharing these unique cultural experiences with our school community, highlighting the beauty and depth of Chinese customs, arts and practices. Throughout the school year, the group puts on a variety of engaging activities and events — from traditional Chinese festivals, such as Chinese New Year, as well as calligraphy workshops and dumpling making events. Overall, the society’s aim is to enrich St. Paul’s School’s diversity, equity, inclusion and justice initiatives by specifically highlighting and celebrating Chinese culture, thereby enhancing our understanding of global diversity.

Annual Lunar New Year Celebration

Each year students in the Chinese Society and Chinese language program organize a variety of events in celebration of the Lunar New Year. Most recently, students enjoyed dumplings, boba tea and other treats as they took in a talent show and cultural presentations. A special Lunar New Year chapel highlighted the SPS Orchestra and Sixth Form Chinese language students and featured traditional dragon and lion dances.

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Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA)

The GSA is open to anyone, including allies who are interested in discussing issues around gender and sexuality. We stand in full solidarity with people who may be disadvantaged because of their sexual orientation, sexual identity, or gender expression. We help create awareness and make systemic changes at SPS to counteract discrimination, homophobia, and transphobia, educate the community through planned events, and ensure that school policies and curriculum are inclusive.

Hillel Society

The Hillel Society is an affinity group that works to create opportunities and programming to support Jewish students at St. Paul’s School. Through social gatherings, celebrations of holidays, and planning chapel programming we are able to connect with one another and celebrate our shared Jewish identities.

Members of the Hillel Society and their guests observe Passover.

Members of the Hillel Society gather to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah, lighting the menorah, saying the blessings and singing a psalm.

Hindu Society

The Hindu Society is an affinity group for students who identify as Hindu. We provide a supportive space to connect, celebrate and explore our shared faith and culture. While there is often overlap between the Hindu Society and the South Asian Society, as many Hindus also identify as South Asian, our focus is specifically on the religious and spiritual aspects of Hinduism. Our meetings offer opportunities for spiritual reflection, discussion of Hindu practices and celebration of religious festivals. As members of the Hindu Society, we strive to create a welcoming and inclusive environment where all students can feel comfortable expressing their faith and exploring their spiritual journey. We are committed to fostering a sense of community and belonging among Hindu students at St. Paul’s School.

Japanese Society

The Japanese Society welcomes the participation of all students interested in celebrating the Japanese language and culture. The alliance group exists as a place for those with Japanese heritage or language skills to come together over food and Japanese media and share their experiences and love for Japan with the larger SPS student body. Importantly, the Japanese Society honors and supports the longtime exchange program between St. Paul’s School and the Seikei School in Tokyo, Japan, by providing a platform for each resident Seikei Scholar to plan events highlighting aspects of Japanese culture with our School.

Justice and Social Equality for Asians (JSEA)

JSEA is an alliance group for students of all backgrounds at SPS. A typical meeting includes discussion around a current event (which could be specific to SPS or at a national or global level), social justice initiative, or historical inequality impacting people of Asian descent. This is a space for students of all backgrounds to learn more about challenges faced by people of Asian descent either here at SPS or in the U.S. as a whole because of their ethnicity, and ways we can all work for change to address these inequalities.

Korean Society

The Korean Society is an affinity group for students who identify as Korean or of Korean descent. Our mission is to create a welcoming space for members to celebrate and explore their Korean heritage, culture and identity. Through activities like sharing Korean food, music, language and traditions, we foster community, pride and connection among members. We promote cultural understanding and advocate for inclusivity and diversity on campus by partnering with other affinity and alliance groups and clubs to share our Korean culture with the broader student body.

The Latinx Society hosted a salsa class for interested students, with some Latin American desserts as a tasty treat.

Latinx Society

The Latinx Society at SPS is an affinity group for students who identify as Latinx. A typical meeting includes a conversation about our shared experiences, a reflection on the celebration of cultural tradition, or the planning of an external event to share and to educate the community on the rich cultures of Latin America. This is a safe space for students to unpack their Latinx identity and to explore it among peers.

LGBTQIA+ Society

The LGBTQIA+ Affinity group at SPS is a membership for students and faculty who are part of the queer community and identify as being Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning/Queer, Intersex, Asexual/Agender, Plus (other self-identifiers not listed). A typical meeting includes gathering in a safe space and engaging in conversations about shared experiences, being out (or not) at SPS, and working with the School administration to educate the community about homophobia and transphobia and counteract discrimination based on one’s sexual orientation and gender expression.

Mixed Heritage Society

This affinity group provides a safe space for multiracial students to feel comfortable discussing issues and topics regarding race.

Muslim Society

The Muslim Society of St. Paul’s School is a diverse affinity group for students who feel inspired by, or a sense of belonging to, any dimension of Islam. First and foremost, it is a safe space for students who identify as Muslim by faith, heritage, geographical influence, or sincere exploration to support one another, inclusively, without privileging any particular sect, tradition, or national interpretation. The Muslim Society also strives to serve the greater SPS community by clarifying common misconceptions about Islam, which is sometimes portrayed in the media as less diverse than it really is, and celebrating its culture together.

Onyx is really a place where we can talk about anything, including race, and really rejoice in each other and in our community and affinity space. My job is to facilitate these discussions and to facilitate a safe space for kids to really be able to open up. It’s nice to have people who share the same experience and are willing to talk to you about it.

Meet Hudson

Onyx

Onyx at SPS is an affinity group for students who identify as Black, African American, or of African heritage. This group is a safe space for students to gather together and be in community with one another and adults. Onyx meetings vary in topics but the overall goal remains the same and that is making students feel comfortable on campus and having a “place to process.” This affinity group creates a safe and brave space for students to discuss various topics and socially connect with one another.

South Asian Society

The South Asian Society (SAS) is an affinity group for students who identify as South Asian or South Asian-American. SAS offers a supportive space to connect, celebrate and explore our shared cultural heritage. Our bi-weekly meetings feature engaging discussions on current events, cultural traditions and personal experiences. We also enjoy delicious South Asian cuisine together and delve into the unique challenges and opportunities of being South Asian in a boarding school environment. As members of the SAS, we actively contribute to the St. Paul’s School community by promoting cultural understanding, fostering diversity and inclusion initiatives and organizing campus-wide events. Our goal is to create a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere where all South Asian students can feel valued and appreciated.

Transitions

Transitions is a cross-cultural affinity group for students who identify as students of color. Transitions is a group where students gather to discuss the commonalities of being a non-white student on a predominantly white campus. Meetings are opportunities to celebrate one’s culture while on campus, a place to hang out, and not have to code-switch, a place to celebrate your triumphs, and discuss your frustrations. Members can build a network of support systems across campus and find themselves among peers with whom they share cultural identities and backgrounds. These connections forge strong friendships and create lasting memories.

Women of Color

The SPS Women of Color (SPS WoC) is an affinity group for students who identify as Women of Color at St. Paul’s School. SPS WoC sponsors events and gatherings to discuss concerns and topics that WoC feel are meaningful to them, inspire support of one another, and foster mentorship of students new or unfamiliar to all the opportunities SPS offers and any challenges fellow students may encounter. WoC hopes to build upon the fellowship, friendship, and fun of being WoC together at SPS.

Young Women’s Club

The Young Women’s Club is an affinity group at SPS. We seek to provide an inclusive and supportive space for the young women on campus. By surrounding the girls with other members who identify similarly, cultivating discussions about gender equity, and hosting various activities that encourage the building of strong relations between older and younger students, the Young Women’s Club is dedicated to supporting all of the girls that reside on this campus. The group’s goal is to be more active this year, which means having a greater presence in the community through frequent activities.

Organized by the Hindu Society and the South Asian Society, students celebrate Holi, the festival of colors, on Chapel Lawn with colorful powder, a henna station, music and food.