14th Annual Governor's Diversity Day

We hope your school will consider participating in one or all of the Governor's Diversity Day components: traditional school wide programming, the video project or the CTSO competition.  To jump start the process, below are some programs developed locally for past Governor's Diversity Days. 

Hopkinsville High School, Christian County

A Variety of Activities at HHS for Diversity Day

• Diversity Day Mentor Luncheon: all mentors and students will be served foods form different countries.  They will be encouraged to discuss how our diversity makes us special and unique.
• HHS students to record "diversity spots" for play on a local radio station.
• Sculpture class students to create a sculpture/mobile which represents diversity of colors, sizes and ages.
• English class to create a PowerPoint presentation on the roots of discrimination through race, music and politics.
• One class is teaming up to "interview" each other and report on their relationship with their "culture buddy."  This is a collaboration between the ESL teacher and a special education teacher.
• Classroom lessons on immigration dealing with leaving a country to flee repression and the challenges facing moving to a new country.
• Arts and Humanities lesson on the Tuskegee Airmen, the first black fighter pilot squadron.
• Another Arts and Humanities class is studying West African Folk Tale and students will have the opportunity to write their own fictitious folk tales.
• A guest lecture by an Assistant Principal on how our challenges make us diverse and unique.

Paris Elementary School, Paris, Kentucky

Diversity Literatures: Every grade level homeroom will complete a literature-based lesson that highlights an area of diversity.

• Kindergarten: The Crayon Box That Talked
• 1st Grade: Stone Soup
• 2nd Grade: The Name Jar
• 3rd Grade: Pink and Say
• 4th Grade: Amazing Grace
• 5th Grade: The Sneetches

Diversity Assembly

• At the conclusion of Diversity Day, there will be a school assembly in which the 4th grade classes will perform a play about diversity.  Following the play, these students will lead a discussion about the play, including questions specifically designed for each grade level.

South Christian Elementary, Christian County

Diversity & Creative Expression

• Students will be encouraged, on Diversity Day, to express how they are unique and special by drawing a self-portrait, writing a short poem about themselves, or using other means of self-expression.  These expressions may be posted in the room or shared during the author's share time.

Union County Public Schools (Union County High, Union County Middle, Sturgis Elementary, Uniontown Elementary and Morganfield Elementary)

Diversity Video:

• Each public school participated in the creation of a Diversity Video.  Though this video was not completed in time for the Diversity Day Video Project, it will be shown to all schools on Diversity Day.  The video, a collaborative effort by Family Resource and Youth Service Center coordinators and media students, features clips from students (from all schools) explaining the importance of diversity.  The Union County Schools Superintendent spoke on the video and there was music featured throughout. 

Christian County Career & Technical Campus, Christian County

"The World's People and Products on the Move"

• Students will watch a presentation then participate in an analytical discussion on the global workforce, movement of products, technical works and delivery methods and the significant changes over the past forty years. 

Southside Elementary, Versailles, Kentucky

Primary Level

• Primary teachers read to students The Color of Us, followed by a writing assignment.  First graders will research "Dolls from Around the World" and second graders investigate their family histories (understanding that students represent families from all over the world, some having been here for hundreds of years and others only a few months).  On Diversity Day, each child will share what they have discovered and mark on a map where their family began its journey.

Intermediate Level

• Intermediate students will participate in a poster contest.  Each will choose a "diversity slogan" and make a poster or collage to illustrate that slogan, or design a Diversity Day logo.  Their design will include a description of their logo's meaning. 

Morgan Elementary in Paducah, Kentucky

Component One: Classroom Connection

• This is designed to give the classroom teachers some input in the formation of knowledge during this most important day.  The regular classroom teachers will work individually or in their collaborative teams to introduce the concept of diversity to the students using grade level appropriate activities. These activities can be teacher created or one that correlates with the adopted social studies curriculum. (Social Studies Alive)
• An additional list of supplemental activities will be sent out the teachers to assist in the formation of an idea for the grade level.

Component Two: Cultural Expo

• With the assistance of the community and parent volunteers, the students will matriculate through a museum of sorts that highlights the cuisine of various cultures.
• A display board will be used to give information about the cultures and to assist the volunteer curators with giving tours of the museum.
• A display dish will be prepared for each culture to highlight the various items that the cultures are responsible for contributing to the American way of life.

Component Three: Salad Bowl

• Each child will be asked to bring in an item from a list that could found in a salad.
• Each classroom teacher will discuss the items individually pointing out their “value” individually.
• The teacher will ask each student to bring their items up to the front of the class were there is a salad bowl.  (Be mindful of allergies of students in your class)
• Each child will add their ingredient making a huge, and most delicious salad for the students to enjoy.  (Be prepared to mix the salad and serve it when the dish is complete.)

Component Four: Open-Response

• Each grade level will complete an open-response writing that is grade appropriate using the school-wide four square process.
• Teachers are to grade the responses and the students with a rating of four will receive a prize.