Diverseability Week: How South Christian Celebrates Students' Differences
Last week, we shared an article about Connections, a program at South Christian High School that seeks to encourage students to build relationships with students across ages, cultures, special needs, and social groups. In today's post, Sarah Ress, a senior at the school and member of the Connections leadership, highlights one school-wide activity that celebrates differences: Diversability Week.
Normal. It’s a word used all the time. We refer to this word frequently, and even idolize it. “Why can’t I be normal? Why can’t you act normal? Why does my life have to be so weird, I just want to be normal!” Or, we also comment on how abnormal things are, and how it makes us uncomfortable. “She’s so different, why isn’t she normal? They act so stupid, why can’t they be normal?” Well in all honesty, “normal” isn’t something that anyone can grasp. We are all abnormal in our own ways, and guess what - that’s ok. Being different does not lower our worth, it gives us unique perspectives to share with the world!
South Christian's student art show highlighted uniquely made masterpieces.
At South Christian High School (Grand Rapids, MI) this past April, we dedicated a week to celebrating the fact that we are not all made with the same cookie cutter. It was appropriately titled "Diversability Week". Throughout the week we had a new, diverse focus each day and a devotion for every morning. Monday was our kickoff and students were given an overview of the week, along with a devotion about what it means to be a diverse community. Tuesday we celebrated our international students with 22 flags hung in our hallways representing the different ethnicities of our student body and a chapel with a guest speaker. Wednesday we encouraged students to go out of their comfort zone and befriend someone they normally would not, and then we put encouragement notes up on all of the students’ lockers.
The Ability Fair allowed students to hear from a diverse group of community organizations.
We also had an “Ability Fair” in our gym, where students could step out of their normal routine and talk to diverse organizations from our community. A few of those who visited were Mary Free Bed, Camp Sunshine, and All Belong. On Thursday, we focused on our students involved in inclusive education. We had a chapel with a senior testimony from one of those students, and songs led by some of the other students and their friends. Friday’s purpose was to show that being different truly can lead to great things. That afternoon we had the Grand Rapids Pacers Wheelchair Basketball team come in and play our varsity boys team in wheelchairs. It was an educative and fun way to end the week.
Since Diversability Week, I have had many students and teachers approach me and tell me what they learned from the week. Some people’s eyes were opened to our unique community by the chapels and the devotionals, while others learned more through the assembly and the fair. For me, the week always hits home. I enjoy watching students become more accepting in the weeks that follow and hearing kids talk about what they learned from the fair. I love that the week highlights people, cultures, and talents that are not the norm for most of us! It teaches us that this “normal” that we so often obsess over is not necessary. We learned that being different makes us special and unique but in no way less of a person, and that is why we love having Diversability Week. We should never be afraid to be ourselves!
Sarah Ress is a senior at South Christian High School, where she's been a part of the Connections Council for four years. Sarah will be a freshman at Aquinas College in the fall, majoring in Special Education or Psychology.
Normal. It’s a word used all the time. We refer to this word frequently, and even idolize it. “Why can’t I be normal? Why can’t you act normal? Why does my life have to be so weird, I just want to be normal!” Or, we also comment on how abnormal things are, and how it makes us uncomfortable. “She’s so different, why isn’t she normal? They act so stupid, why can’t they be normal?” Well in all honesty, “normal” isn’t something that anyone can grasp. We are all abnormal in our own ways, and guess what - that’s ok. Being different does not lower our worth, it gives us unique perspectives to share with the world!
South Christian's student art show highlighted uniquely made masterpieces.At South Christian High School (Grand Rapids, MI) this past April, we dedicated a week to celebrating the fact that we are not all made with the same cookie cutter. It was appropriately titled "Diversability Week". Throughout the week we had a new, diverse focus each day and a devotion for every morning. Monday was our kickoff and students were given an overview of the week, along with a devotion about what it means to be a diverse community. Tuesday we celebrated our international students with 22 flags hung in our hallways representing the different ethnicities of our student body and a chapel with a guest speaker. Wednesday we encouraged students to go out of their comfort zone and befriend someone they normally would not, and then we put encouragement notes up on all of the students’ lockers.
The Ability Fair allowed students to hear from a diverse group of community organizations.We also had an “Ability Fair” in our gym, where students could step out of their normal routine and talk to diverse organizations from our community. A few of those who visited were Mary Free Bed, Camp Sunshine, and All Belong. On Thursday, we focused on our students involved in inclusive education. We had a chapel with a senior testimony from one of those students, and songs led by some of the other students and their friends. Friday’s purpose was to show that being different truly can lead to great things. That afternoon we had the Grand Rapids Pacers Wheelchair Basketball team come in and play our varsity boys team in wheelchairs. It was an educative and fun way to end the week.
Since Diversability Week, I have had many students and teachers approach me and tell me what they learned from the week. Some people’s eyes were opened to our unique community by the chapels and the devotionals, while others learned more through the assembly and the fair. For me, the week always hits home. I enjoy watching students become more accepting in the weeks that follow and hearing kids talk about what they learned from the fair. I love that the week highlights people, cultures, and talents that are not the norm for most of us! It teaches us that this “normal” that we so often obsess over is not necessary. We learned that being different makes us special and unique but in no way less of a person, and that is why we love having Diversability Week. We should never be afraid to be ourselves!
Sarah Ress is a senior at South Christian High School, where she's been a part of the Connections Council for four years. Sarah will be a freshman at Aquinas College in the fall, majoring in Special Education or Psychology.