As the winter season approaches this school year, many schools are planning festive activities, and I believe that Long Reach Highschool should join this trend. Not every student celebrates the same  holidays at home, whether due to religion or a bad situation. That’s why creating an inclusive winter celebration is essential to creating a  more fundamental community.  When we make an effort to make space for different religions, beliefs, and experiences, we as people are making students feel safe and respected. 

Some ways to build an inclusive community for different religions or personal experiences during the winter season would be instead of focusing on just Christmas, we make other areas concerning winter more festive. Like decorating snowflakes around the staircase, or making it a challenge to who has the most decorative sweaters. This will help students not feel pressured to fit in with a holiday they wouldn’t celebrate on their own time just so they can feel included in the celebrations at school. 

Another way to make winter celebrations at school more interesting is to advocate for student voices in this process. A diverse set of voices in the planning process, that have different backgrounds can make sure that nobody of different backgrounds can be excluded . This can help create a sense of ownership over their school and also help create a positive atmosphere at school. 

Designing an inclusive winter celebration will benefit the school in wondrous ways as previously  stated.. It fosters cultural diversity and appreciation, teaching empathy and boosting belonging at Long Reach. Schools can also create a safe space by offering optional participation. Like quieter spaces, workshops or just peaceful cultural displays. It’s very important to not make anyone feel uncomfortable or peer pressured.