Director of College Counseling & School Culture
Diversity & Culture
My name is Herbie Walker, and I serve as the Director of College Counseling and School Culture here at Faith Lutheran. In my role as Director of School Culture, I am committed to ensuring that every student feels welcomed, valued, and embraced in our Christian community, regardless of their cultural background or heritage. At Faith Lutheran, diversity is one of our strengths, with 45% of our student body identifying as students of color. We believe it is our responsibility to educate the whole student, spiritually, academically, and emotionally.
On this page, you will find information about the various programs and activities that foster inclusivity and belonging on our campus. We also provide clear policies that stand firmly against racism and bigotry, reflecting our commitment to upholding Christian values of love, respect, and unity. We are proud of the progress we’ve made and look forward to continuing this important work in partnership with our students, families, and staff.
At Faith Lutheran, we believe that all people - regardless of race, gender, age, degree of physical ability, or socioeconomic class - are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) and therefore have perfectly equal dignity, value, and worth. Each one of us is “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14) so each one of us is a unique child of God. Therefore, we strive to ensure that every person on our campus is equally loved, valued, seen, and heard. We are all beautiful members of the human race.
We strive to model the Gospel’s vast inclusiveness found in John 3:16 when Jesus said “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in me will have eternal life.” Jesus offers salvation equally to all believers making no distinctions based on race, gender, degree of physical ability, socioeconomic class or ability.
Among the many strengths of Faith Lutheran is the diversity of our students. We are blessed with an increasingly diverse student body in every way. We serve students from nearly every zip code in the Las Vegas Valley and multiple foreign countries. Our students are 1.3% Native American or Alaska Native, 9.5% Asian, 13.5% Bi- or Multi-Racial, 5.9% Black or African American, 7.8% Hispanic or Latino, 1.9% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 1.7% Middle Eastern/Northern African, and 58.4% White. Our students’ religious identity includes Christian (Catholic and Protestant), Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, LDS, Muslim, Orthodox, and Unchurched. They excel differently in academics, clubs, service, arts, and athletics. It is no accident that our very own mission statement (“Everyone Prepared! Everyone Saved!”) twice mentions “everyone” which intentionally includes every single member of the Faith Family. Our students and our staff are our primary focus.
Biblical love is one of the truly defining marks of Christians. Jesus calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves, love our enemies, pray for those who persecute us, help those in need, and treat others as we would like to be treated. This is the expectation of all who attend or work here. God wants us to live in harmony, but we know that as humans, we sin and make mistakes. Racism is a sin as it fails to honor others as gifts from God. When we learn of someone being marginalized, dismissed, or disrespected, we help the wrongdoer to acknowledge past and present offenses without excuse. We foster an environment where constructive feedback is welcomed, valued, and addressed.
We create a culture that pursues conflict resolution, where each member is willing to listen, quick to repent, and quick to forgive when necessary. The Apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit noted in Philippians 2:3-4 that we should “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather in humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests, but each of you to the interests of others.” This is best seen as we love all brothers and sisters in Christ in a way that the fruits of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control: Galatians 5:22-23) are evident to all.
May God grant us a loving, respectful, and caring campus where all of God’s children are equally valued, loved, seen, and heard.
Dr. Steve Buuck, CEO - Chief Executive Officer
Message from the CEO
Diversity & Culture Opportunities
At Faith Lutheran, we are committed to creating a vibrant and inclusive community that celebrates the rich diversity of God’s people. From academic offerings like AP African American Studies to student-led clubs such as the Asian Student Association, Black Student Association, and Multicultural Club, our campus reflects a wide array of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We welcome international students from across the globe and offer supportive programs like our Mark 10:14 and Resource Programs to ensure all students have access to a Christ-centered, high-quality education. Whether through classroom learning or cultural immersion via international travel, students at Faith are encouraged to grow in empathy, understanding, and connection with the world around them.
Anti-Racism Statement
Faith Lutheran is committed to immediately addressing any issues regarding discrimination or harassment based on race. As Jesus commands us in John 13:34, Faith Lutheran strives to love one another as He has loved us, and as Paul reminds us in Ephesians 4:32, to be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave us. While our ultimate goal in resolving any issues is to counsel students through repentance and forgiveness, as well as cultural sensitivity using restorative disciplinary practices, depending on the situation, suspension, expulsion, and criminal or civil charges may be necessary.
Restorative discipline practices are an alternative to exclusionary disciplinary practices or removal from the academic environment; instead, restorative disciplinary practices help students establish respect for one another, take responsibility for their actions and behaviors, repair the harm that their behavior may have caused, reestablish positive relationships, and reintegrate back into the school community. If it is determined that a student has engaged in discrimination based on race at Faith Lutheran and is allowed to remain enrolled, restorative discipline will be required in the spirit of Galatians 6:1. This may include private mediation between individual students, restorative discussions involving larger groups of students, cultural sensitivity education, and discussions with student leaders, administrators, teachers, and counselors.
Under Assembly Bill 371 of the 81st Session of the Nevada Legislature, “discrimination based on race” means any single or repeated or pervasive act or acts, whether targeted to a specific person or targeted in general to any person’s demographic identified as race, color, culture, religion, language, ethnicity, or national origin of a person that causes harm or creates a hostile work or learning environment, which may include, without limitation, jokes, threats, physical altercations or intimidation and that occurs in person, online, or in any other setting, including without limitation, in a Faith Lutheran Online course.
Principals and department chairs regularly review curriculum to ensure that discussions of race and culture in the classroom are age-appropriate, culturally relevant, academically rigorous, and delivered with care and respect.
All staff and students are required to participate in cultural sensitivity training during summer orientation, fostering an inclusive and respectful school environment.