Andréas Arteaga on Villa's DEI Programs

For those of you who don't already know me, I am the Director of Equity Education & Inclusion (DEI), as well as a Middle School Religion teacher. My academic background is in English Literature, French, Theology/Philosophy and Social Justice Arts Education. After earning my Bachelor's degree from Seattle University, I was in Jesuit formation at Saint Louis University for four years. While my time as a Jesuit cemented my love for education, the arts and the integration of faith and justice, I decided to follow a different path and returned to Seattle University for graduate school.  

At Villa, our Catholic roots are in social justice which call us to respect all human dignity. Students begin their social justice work with these values in mind and partake in lessons around social issues in an age appropriate manner. 

• From Preschool to 1st grade, students learn about and celebrate differences. 
  
• From 2nd to 5th grades, students build social awareness and discuss topics such as racism, Native rights, disability awareness, and environmental justice. 
  
• In Middle School, students solidify their social awareness and identities while developing advocacy.

In order for students to process difficult topics, we follow a model of social justice education through the arts. Adding an arts component allows them to express the social issue and their emotions around it through painting, collage-making, poetry, playwriting, modern dance, and hip-hop.

Along with students, our faculty, staff, and parent community participate in ongoing social justice awareness and education. 

• Faculty & Staff engage in anti-bias and anti-racism professional development trainings.
  
• In partnership with our Diversity & Inclusion Committee, we develop parent education nights that have included presentations by Ijeoma Oluo, Joy DeGruy, Farzana Nayani, and many more.
  
• Our International Night Market event celebrates the immigrant cultural diversity of our community through food, music, and other arts performances.
  

While there is much more that we do to bring social justice to life, these examples give you an idea of our deep commitment to the DEI work happening at Villa. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions!

Paz, 

Andrés Arteaga