Holland Hill Holds Diversity Day for Fourth Graders

Holland Hill Diversity Day

Yesterday, Holland Hill School held it’s annual Diversity Day program for Fourth Graders. Diversity Day is sponsored by the school, the PTA and SEPTA, and is held once per year at each of the elementary schools.

At Holland Hill each fourth grade class started with a discussion of differences, tolerance and the importance of diversity. Children then moved to the gymnasium, one class at a time to experience specific challenges firsthand. The students moved in small groups through seven different stations to have a hands-on experience simulating a particular difference. Each of the stations was led by parent volunteers.

“It really helps children to understand what other people go through when they have an injury or handicap,” said Denise Totura, an Orthopedic Therapist and Holland Hill parent. Ms. Totura was leading the gross motor skills table where she demonstrated prosthetic limbs, as well as challenge people face when they have trouble maintaining balance.

A student experiences firsthand the challenges of using a wheelchair.

Other stations included a vision station, an allergy station, a speech language station and a fine motor skills station. There was also a station to help students understand challenges associated with learning differences and a station dedicated to social skills.

Each of the stations placed students in a situation that required them to complete basic everyday tasks, while simulating the difference. For instance, at the vision station students were asked to close there eyes and interpret braille, then move to the next station using only a blind cane. At the fine motor skills stations, they donned loose fitting gloves and then given shirts to try and button and bottles to open.

The video below shows some of the various challenges the students were invited to take on.

More information about the program can be found at www.fairfieldsepta.org