conversations about identity. The message is that inclusion is too political, or too risky, or too much. But I’ve been in those conversations with boys who are trying to make sense of who they are. I’ve listened to families work through hard questions about where they belong. I’ve stood beside teachers as they hold space for voices that aren’t always heard. And I can tell you: this is not work to fear. It’s work to embrace. When done well, DEIJB helps boys grow into young men who are confident in their own identities and compassionate toward others. It builds the muscles of empathy, accountability, and leadership, not just for high school, but for life. It’s the kind of work education has always been meant to do. BELONGING DOESN’T HAPPEN BY ACCIDENT. IT HAPENS BY DESIGN. WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE EVERY DAY At Cathedral, inclusion isn’t a box to check. It’s a practice, something we live out in small moments: when a teacher welcomes each boy by name, when a student learns how to ask someone about a tradition they don’t share, and when we help boys repair a moment of harm with curiosity, honesty, and care. This work isn’t abstract. It’s relational. It asks real questions: Who’s in the room? Who isn’t? Who’s heard? Who’s missed? When we do it well, boys begin to ask those questions too. They start to see leadership not as a solo act but as something built together. Belonging doesn’t happen by accident. It happens by design.
LOOKING AHEAD At Cathedral School for Boys, we don’t confuse motion with meaning. We are intentional. We are steady. And we’re in this for the long haul. Belonging and community-building aren’t things we do once and declare finished. They’re part of our strategic plan, our faculty training, our belief statement, and the everyday choices we make with each other and with our boys.
This is how we raise boys who know themselves and make room for others.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Aaron Mullen is Cathedral School for Boys’ director of community and student life, a role he assumed in 2025 after serving as director of inclusion since 2015. A former athletics director, he draws on deep relationships with students and families to advance equity, belonging, and justice. He co-chaired POCIS and currently serves on the board of the Episcopal Impact Fund.
2025–2026 RED&GOLD
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