Students make their way around the track at Lindsay Thurber High School on Tuesday to celebrate the school's fourth Annual DYEversity Relay.

By Sheldon Spackman

Celebrating Diversity

Lindsay Thurber hosts fourth Annual DYEversity Relay

May 14, 2019 | 3:21 PM

Celebrating and promoting the diversity of the Lindsay Thurber school community was the goal behind the fourth Annual DYEversity Relay held at the school on Tuesday.

The event began with an opening ceremony featuring guest speaker Tammy Cunnington, a member of Canada’s national para swim team and a 2016 Paralympian.

Cunnington says it’s important for her to be involved in the community and share positive messages with students.

“My conversation today was about diversity obviously because that’s our day,” explains Cunnington. “But it was also about finding the character in people, rather than just seeing the characteristics. That was my main point that I was passing on.”

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Cunnington says kids really are the future, so it’s important to teach them acceptance of diversity.

“Our world is changing so much with all the talk of women in sports and improving that, and not just sports, but women in business,” she exclaims. “Then accepting people for their different ideologies, religions, beliefs, non-beliefs and just that whole world of acceptance is becoming broader and our world will just continue to benefit as that grows.”

The event also saw participants take turns walking, running, wheeling and dancing around the Lindsay Thurber track, while enjoying music, activities, food and entertainment organized on their behalf.

In addition, booths were set up throughout the school grounds for students to visit and gain an understanding of other cultures represented at Thurber.

Participants were also doused with different coloured powders at intervals throughout the day, intended as a unique way of recognizing the multi-coloured fabric of the school.

Vice Principal Sandre Bevan says they try really hard to make it an even playing field for all students at the school.

“This is one of those days where we can make that happen simply because everyone gets to be a part of this,” says Bevan. “Diversity is an all-encompassing term and includes so many different facets, but in our building we are a multi-faceted place and that is the real world. If we can teach our students the importance of celebrating and recognizing diversity and incorporating that as part of their everyday life, then we know that we will produce good citizens when they leave our building.”

Bevan hopes the event is also an opportunity for students to celebrate everyone’s uniqueness and commonalities as well.

“But that’s not what separates us, it’s what brings us together,” explains Bevan. “This event is huge, not just because of the support from all the kids but it’s the support from the staff and the entire community that makes this event happen.”