Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

List of 5 items.

• Meet the VP of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

  Magnificat High School Vice President of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
  
  

  

  On April 19, 2021, Janetta M. Hammock joined the Magnificat High School community as the school’s Senior Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and she was promoted to Vice President in July 2024. She came to Magnificat from Case Western Reserve University(CWRU), where since 2011, she had served in various diversity positions, most recently as Director of Diversity and Strategic Initiatives.
  
  "We are thrilled to welcome Janetta to Magnificat," said Magnificat High School President Moira Clark '77 when Hammock’s appointment was announced.  "The breadth and depth of her experience in developing diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and fostering inclusive communities will serve our students and our community well."
  
  As Vice President of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, Hammock partners with the Leadership Team to integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion across departments.  In addition, she provides DEIB training for faculty and staff; develops student leadership in matters related to diversity, equity, and inclusion; oversees affinity clubs; engages in the development and planning of diversity activities and events, including the annual Diversity Week; uses an equity lens to review and update school policies and procedures; and identifies and engages strategic partners to advance the school's diversity, equity, and inclusion vision. She also led the work of the school’s Anti-Racism Advisory Task Force.
  
  Prior to her work at CWRU, Hammock served in a number of capacities at John Carroll University including Director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, and in the Office of Government and Public Affairs at the American Council on Education, in Washington, DC.  A certified diversity professional, Hammock earned master's degrees in philosophy with an emphasis in diversity management from Cleveland State University and in cultural studies/African American history from Morgan State University. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and political science from Michigan State University.
  
  "I am excited to be part of the Magnificat community and work with others in the critically important work of cultivating more inclusive and equitable learning and work environments," Hammock said. "Magnificat is committed to taking bold steps to bring about sustainable change that will positively impact students, staff, alumnae, and local communities. I am grateful to be part of these efforts."

   

  Contact Information:

   

  Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging 

  DEI@maghs.org

   

  Janetta Hammock

  jhammock@maghs.org

   
  

  
  
  

• Diversity at Magnificat

  22% of the Magnificat student population identifies as BIPOC students (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color)*

  *BIPOC students include African American, American Indian/Native American, East Asian, Asian American, Hispanic/Latina, Middle Eastern, South Asian, Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders, Native Alaskans and Multiracial students 

  
  

  19% of the student population is non-Catholic 

  
  

  70% of Magnificat students received tuition assistance in the 2024-2025 academic school year. 
  

  
  

  11% of all students are eligible for free or reduced lunch 

  
  

  Magnificat students come to the school from seven counties in the region: Cuyahoga, Lorain, Medina, Lake, Erie, Geauga, and Summit counties 

  
  

  Since 2017, Magnificat High School has been a school provider for the Cleveland Scholarship Program. This scholarship, funded by the Ohio Department of Education, provides tuition assistance to students that reside in the city of Cleveland.

  
  Magnificat is a Catholic school that embraces religious diversity

  • Islamic Prayer Room
    Located in a quiet area on the first floor, the prayer room provides space for daily prayer and is available to students and others throughout the school day. 
  • Lourdes Chapel
    Located on the first floor near the Advancement Department, the chapel is available for prayer and quiet reflection, when not in use for school programming. The chapel is open to all members of the school community, regardless of religious affiliation. 

  Diversity in Student Engagement Activities
  Magnificat offers 50+ co-curricular opportunities, including:

  • African American Student Alliance 
  • Arabic Club
  • Asian American Pacific Islander Club
  • Cultures and Traditions
  • Gender & Sexuality Alliance
  • Hispanic/Latina Student Association
  • Muslim Student Association
  • Students for Peace and Justice

• Office Programs

  Office Programming includes:

  • Orientation programs for students and families of color
  • Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging sessions for faculty/staff
  • Sense of belonging and inclusive community sessions for students
  • Diversity Week
  • Events, activities, displays, and announcements in recognition of cultural heritage celebrations
  • Racial Equity Retreat for students

• Anti-Racism Advisory Task Force

   

  

  The Anti-Racism Task Force at its final March 2022 meeting.

   

  First row, left to right: Sharon Byrnes ’84, Kathy Reali Matthews, Maura Garven-Adeel '05, Laila Smith, Phillip Clipps, Phillis Fuller Clipps, Lisa Eland, Daenera Vazquez '14, Devon Lynch-Huggins-Szep '02, Megan Traum

   

  Second row, left to right: Caitlin Blake '06, Syma Dar MD '97, Peggy Kranyak, MD ’71, James Napier, Janetta Hammock, Katie Higgins '99, Moira Clark '77

   

  Not pictured: Russema (Russi) AbuZahrieh '97, Giovanna Bremke '07, Barbara Byrnes-Lenarcic '69, Megan Graves Cantrell '99, Emily Clark, PhD ’92, Tanya Coughlin, Anne Dayton, PhD '91, Jessie Frank '13, Linn Grenert, LeAnne Moore '04, Maureen McCafferty Stanton '92, Rachael Stefancin Toth '03, Christine Vacha '05

   

  Magnificat’s Anti-Racism Task Force Recommendations are Being Reviewed and Implemented as Part of the School’s Strategic Plan Process  

   

  In March 2022, the Magnificat High School Anti-Racism Advisory Task Force concluded its year-long work of reviewing current school conditions and recommending ways to create more inclusive and equitable working and learning environments and move the school toward becoming an anti-racist community. The Task Force presented more than 70 recommendations to the Magnificat Leadership Team.

   

  Since receiving the recommendations early in 2022, the Leadership Team has been reviewing recommendations, along with proposals and strategies outlined in the school’s recent Strategic Plan. Many of the proposals in the two separate documents are similar and/or complement one another. 

   

  Recommendations from the Task Force were assigned to members of the Leadership Team who were then charged with assessing the proposals and working to implement those that could be implemented immediately or in the near future and outlining necessary next steps for more long-term recommendations.    

  The Task Force was established in February 2021 and charged with developing recommendations on ways to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion at Magnificat. The group — made up of nearly 30 current and former parents, community members, alumnae, and school faculty and administrators — met almost monthly for one year.

   

  To complete its work, the Task Force created six working groups, each focused on a different area within the school. The six Working Groups focused on: Alumnae Experience, Parent/Guardian Engagement, Professional Development & Anti-Racist Training, Racial Dialogues, Recruitment & Retention, and School Policies & Procedures. 

   

  Some Task Force recommendations that have been implemented include:  

  • Reorganize the Mother’s and Father’s club into one parent/guardian club. The new Club is the Family Association of Magnificat (FAM) Network.
  • Provide anti-racism and DEI-focused professional development sessions for faculty and staff                               
  • Conduct racial dialogues with student affinity groups
  • Develop a list of DEI resources, including books, films, and documentaries
  • Develop a transportation program that will enable more girls to choose Magnificat (Transportation Scholarship Program has been created)   
  • Expand the processes for sourcing and interviewing faculty and staff talent in order to attract a diverse pipeline of candidates
  • Explore creating units in existing courses across the curriculum that address systemic racism, racial inequities, the imbalance of power structures and implicit/explicit bias in America (in progress)
  • Develop a pipeline of BIPOC alumnae, parents, and community leaders as prospective members of the Board of Directors (in progress)
  • Create and normalize a list of common DEI terms and definitions (in progress)
  • Train staff on restorative justice practices (in progress)

  Working Groups presented their final recommendations to the school leadership in January and February 2022, and — at their final meeting in March 2022 — the groups heard from President Moira Clark ’77 about the process in which the Leadership Team would proceed with reviewing and implementing the recommendations.

   

  “Magnificat is so grateful to each member of the Anti-Racism Task Force for the time, energy, and wisdom that they have poured into this important process for our community," Clark said. “Under the faithful leadership of Senior Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Janetta Hammock, the Task Force has established recommendations that will further Magnificat’s mission for many years to come.”

   

  Each recommendation has been assigned to a specific area of the school’s Strategic Plan and to a Leadership Team member who will be responsible for determining the feasibility of the recommendations and implementing them. 

   

  View outcome statements and recommendations from each Working Group.

• Resources

  Sisters of the Humility of Mary Statement on the Buffalo Massacre, May 2022

   

  Sisters of the Humility of Mary Statement Calling for an End to Racism and Violence, June 2020
  
  Leadership Conference of Women Religious Condemns Killing of George Floyd, May 2020
  
  Statement of U.S. Bishops' President on George Floyd and the Protests in American Cities, May 2020
  
  Open Wide Our Hearts: A Pastoral Letter Against Racism
  November 2018 | Throughout the 2020-2021 school year, the faculty and staff read, reflected upon, and analyzed this 2018 Pastoral Letter from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
  
  Facing History & Ourselves (FHAO)
  For over 20 years, Magnificat has partnered with FHAO to train our faculty and students to critically examine history and the positive choices we can make to respond to hatred and bigotry.
  
  BOOKS
  Blind Spot: Hidden Biases of Good People, 2013, Mahzarin Banaji and Anthony Greenwald
  
  White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism, 2018, Robin Diangelo
  
  Nice Racism: How Progressive White People Perpetuate Racial Harm, 2021, Robin Diangelo 
  
  Waking Up White: And Finding Myself in the Story of Race, 2014, Debby Irving
  
  How to Be An Antiracist, 2019, Ibram X. Kendi 
  
  Heart: A Journey Toward Cultural Humility, 2021, Dr. James L. Knight
  The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together, 2021 Heather McGhee
  
  So You Want to Talk About Race, 2018, Ijeoma Oluo 
  
  Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor, 2020, Layla Saad
  
  The Racial Healing Handbook: Practical Activities to Help You Challenge Privilege, Confront Systematic Racism, and Engage in Collective Healing, 2019, Anneliese A. Singh
  
  Why Are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race, revised edition 2017, Beverly Daniel Tatum