Community

Community Belonging

At Laurel School, the fulfillment of our mission: "To inspire each girl to fulfill her promise and to better the world" requires that we respect and fully honor each member of our community.

Belonging at Laurel serves as a resource to the community for training, social and cultural programming and inclusive educational approaches. We strive to promote equity and justice.

An Inclusive and Equitable School Community

A K-12 school for girls with a coed Early Childhood, Laurel School is proud to be an inclusive and equitable school. We know communities are stronger when its members represent a variety of experiences and backgrounds. We are committed to embracing students whose individuality will enrich our learning environment. We seek to hire faculty and staff members who will bring their unique skills and perspectives to Laurel School.

Belonging Student Groups

At Laurel, we believe students thrive when they feel seen, heard, and connected. These groups offer a safe and supportive space for students in Kindergarten through Grade 12 to build friendships, share experiences, and strengthen confidence. Through meaningful conversations and activities, students develop important social-emotional skills that support both personal growth and academic success. Each group helps foster connection and belonging, so every student feels rooted in our community and confident in who they are.

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On Gender

Laurel School is proud of our long-standing tradition of raising up the voices of girls and women and educating our students to fulfill their promise and better the world. Within this environment, designed for the education of girls, we value and respect the safety of all members of our community, no matter their gender identity, and expect all our constituents to respect the school’s history, values and mission. Should a current Laurel student begin to question their gender identity and/or identify as other than female, we will continue to support that student as a member of the Laurel School community and work with the student and the student’s family to determine if Laurel continues to be the right setting for that student.
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Meet the Director of Community & Belonging

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Candace Maiden

Director of the Middle School; Director of Community Belonging

Bio
Candace Maiden earned a B.A. from The Ohio State University, an M.A. in Counseling at Dallas Baptist University, a Master in Teaching at Liberty University, and a graduate certificate in Diversity and Equity in the Workplace from University of South Florida Muma College of Business.

After three years of teaching at Laurel, Ms. Maiden was the recipient of The Virginia Beidler Neff Award in 2020. In 2022, Ms. Maiden was recognized as a Woman of Professional Excellence with the YWCA. Ms. Maiden is the facilitator of the Black/African American Families of Laurel Affinity Group, Linked @ Laurel, and is the proud mother of a Laurel student.

Candace can be reached by emailing her at cMaiden@LaurelSchool.org.