Inclusive Week in Schools

Inclusive Week in Schools
Posted on 12/05/2022
Inclusive Week in Schools

Inclusive Week in Schools | Unity Within our Community

Diversity is the one thing in life we all have in common.

Throughout Inclusion Week in our schools (December 5-9), our students and staff have celebrated diversity and pledged to kindness and empathy.

At Ernie Davis Academy, our 7-8 middle school, students focused on Inclusion Week each day with synergistic quotes and inspiring words. Students began the week by signing the "I AM NORM" pledge. I Am Norm is an awareness raising campaign run by youth leaders with and without disabilities working to redefine normal and promote inclusion. Students created a 'graffiti wall' including their I AM NORM pledge signatures, later used as a photo background, and participated in a variety of activities to bring the school together. 

Inclusive Schools Week is an annual event sponsored by the Inclusive Schools Network (ISN) and Stetson & Associates, Inc., which is held each year during the first full week in December. Since its inception in 2001, Inclusive Schools Week has celebrated the progress that schools have made in providing a supportive and quality education to an increasingly diverse student population, including students who are marginalized due to disability, gender, socio-economic status, cultural heritage, language preference, and other factors. 

"Inclusion is important because everyone deserves to feel included in every aspect of school life including Social clubs, sports, and after school activities .Inclusion creates a sense of belonging and builds relationships between students with and without disabilities," says Christine Melen, Special Education Teacher at Elmira High School.

"Inclusion week gives students the opportunity to learn and celebrate the differences among us. Our Youth Activation Committee has planned an all school Inclusion Event of Tie Dying shirts on Dec. 16 after school. We kick off our annual inclusion campaign in March and have other activities in the works for the school year," continues Ms. Melen.

The Week also provides an important opportunity for educators, students and parents to discuss what else needs to be done in order to ensure that their schools continue to improve their ability to successfully educate all children.