By Lindsay Tice,Staff Writer
Edward Little High School held its first Diversity Day on Tuesday.

AUBURN – Before school Tuesday, Chelsea Martin and her friends knew only one thing about China: They liked the food.

The Edward Little High School sophomores had never been to China. They didn’t learn much about it in school. And although the high school hosted a Chinese exchange student, they’d never met her.

But by 11 a.m., the three girls chattered about Chinese culture, school customs and true cuisine. After spending more than an hour with her, they couldn’t believe they’d never talked to exchange student Danni Su before.

“There’s a lot of diversity in our school, and I think we need to know each other,” said Martin, 15.

Barely halfway through, the girls deemed Diversity Day a major success.

“I hope we do it again,” said 15-year-old Amy Marron.

Edward Little scrapped its normal school day in favor of multicultural workshops and discussions on diversity for its 1,035 students. Although other schools have held similar full-day events, it was a first for Edward Little.

Assistant Attorney General Tom Harnett opened Diversity Day with a speech on civil rights. Older students went to a performance by a Canadian dance troupe afterward. Younger students attended workshops ranging from American Indian culture to yoga. In the afternoon, older and younger students switched.

Mohamud Muse, 15, chose a morning workshop on Japan. The class spent more than an hour sipping green tea and nibbling sushi as the teacher, in a bright kimono, talked about Japanese customs and culture.

“I want to learn much about what they do, about the schools. I want to learn about the karate,” said Muse, while his classmates did origami. “I think it’s a great day because you can learn about different cultures.”

Down the hall, students dripped batter into waffle irons during a lesson on Belgium. In the music room, students giggled and swung their hips to Middle Eastern music as they tried belly dancing.

Racial conflicts

Although the day was filled with food and light-hearted lessons on culture, it also had a serious bent.

“I think (Diversity Day) is a good idea because people don’t really understand why they shouldn’t pick on other kids because they’re different,” said 14-year-old Nikita Mondville. “I think this might change their mind.”

In recent years, racial tensions have increased at the school as the community has grown more diverse. Last year, two black students were expelled and a third was suspended for beating a white student. The black teenagers said they had been routinely harassed and called racial slurs by the white student and his friends.

This year, an Edward Little junior, who is black, was the victim of a hazing by white Auburn and Lewiston students at a Junior ROTC camp in Gilead.

In an effort to promote tolerance, Edward Little has been working with the University of Southern Maine’s Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence for a year and a half. Officials hoped Diversity Day would also help.

Midday, students met in their third-period classes for serious discussions on school cliques, diversity and prejudice.

Many of the teenagers said they liked Auburn’s newfound diversity. In one class, students said they believed the school climate had improved, but they were happy to have a day dedicated to people’s differences.

“You can always learn something. You can always have a more open mind,” said 15-year-old Deacon Lasagna.

The school paid for the $3,000 Diversity Day with a grant from the Maine Juvenile Justice Advisory Group. Officials hope to have another one next year if they can get the funding.

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