Diversity is all around us so let’s celebrate uniqueness in all areas

When you think of diversity, what do you think of?

To some it means a place where all are included. Where you can be who you are without worry.

But what does it mean in schools? We took a closer look.

Clinical psychologist Hannah Rose once stated, “No one on this planet thinks about you as much as you think about yourself.”

When talking to the students at our school, we were overwhelmed by the positivity we were greeted with.

Diversity and inclusivity in schools has been a longstanding topic and is so important to students’ wellbeing in the classroom.

Asking around our school we discovered several things.

First, students in younger year levels didn’t tend to know the definition of diversity. Second, they were all confident that our school was very inclusive.

We asked students what diversity meant to them; those that didn’t know what it meant received a prompt and told us how it made them feel.

A student in Year 2 explained to us that diversity meant that “everyone treats each other as equals.”

We found lots of similarities between answers from students. Most responses said something about how it makes them feel happy. A few students responded by saying things like “being inclusive” and “being proud to be who they are”.

To us, diversity means feeling comfortable, being who you are in a space that makes you feel good about your unique self.

It is no secret that diversity has changed a lot in the last five years, but we wanted to know exactly how much it has evolved.

We asked Year 5 and 6 students their opinion on the topic and we received very varied responses. Some said it hasn’t changed that much, and we have always been a truly diverse school, but others responded saying that in the last few years, they have noticed an increase in people feeling more comfortable being themselves.

We also touched base with some of the teachers, who were able to give us more information on the topic.

We asked our teachers one question: how has diversity changed in our school in the time that they have taught here?

“A variety of important days such as Harmony Day and Diversity Day are celebrated, and on these days, it opens discussions about important information with colleagues and students,” one teacher said.

Another added: “In our school, diversity has grown and will continue to grow as time goes on.”

Both said they felt inclusivity plays an important role in our day-to-day life.

Most of the staff spoke about the diverse range of abilities, cultures and personalities and how these qualities play a crucial role in making our school as welcoming and inclusive as it is.

Diversity is all around us and it is great to see students being themselves. After all, diversity is for everyone.

Please note: Images were added to this Junior Journo competition entry by Kids News editors and minor edits applied as per publishing requirements and editorial guidelines on the site.