Unity in Donversity

Just last week, Amador Valley High School had its annual weeklong celebration of the diversity on campus. Dubbed “Donversity Week”, these 5 days are dedicated to providing students and staff with the opportunity to understand the unique identities of everyone on campus. Each of the 5 days had many fun, interactive activities to raise awareness of the various interests and backgrounds of students.

The theme of Monday was to celebrate origins. Students were able to attend a professional African drumming and dance performance on campus, view a multitude of foreign films at lunch, and pin their origin on the world map poster. Additionally, multicultural music was played throughout the day. Tuesday encouraged unity by raising awareness of the different sexual orientations that people have. Students were handed out Skittles in spirit of gay pride and the Gender Sexuality Alliance club set up a photo booth at lunch. The theme of Wednesday was abilities awareness and this included fundraisers for the Wheelchair Foundation and a booth at lunch where students could write cards to hospitalized kids. Thursday’s theme was diversity in interests. This day included a variety of activities including a club fair at lunch that featured over 23 different clubs on campus, all of which fundraised to donate to the Wheelchair Foundation. Thursday was also Language Diversity Day, during which students were encouraged to speak in their own language during their classes; this was a fun assignment for the World Language students as well, as they were able to use their skills in a more practical and informal setting. Friday marked diversity in identity, culminating the week by showcasing the overarching theme. Students attended a rally organized by students, which featured dance and song performances by many cultural clubs and groups on campus. Throughout the week, the cafeteria served food from a new country each day.

The spirit of Donversity allowed students to consider ideas with an open mind, engage in new activities, learn more about their peers, and accept the uniqueness of each individual on campus. We may all be different from one another, but a better understanding of these very differences will allow us grow, cooperate, and collaborate towards a greater good. By taking the time to understand and appreciate something we are not normally accustomed to, we are able to have new experiences and increase the acceptance within our society. The unity in diversity is what makes our world a beautiful place.