One of the best things and one of my favorite things about Holyoke High is our diversity. In the community of Holyoke itself, we have a huge number of different races and ethnicities. What is diversity? Diversity can mean being varied in many different topics, but the diversity in race and ethnicity can include people with different opinions, backgrounds, religious beliefs, political beliefs, heritage, and life experience. The diversity in our community and Holyoke High School includes physical characteristics such as skin color, hair texture, cultural expression, identification, and so much more. The diversity of Holyoke High makes us who we are as a school and community. We all represent Holyoke High school and in my opinion the diversity of Holyoke High is one of the most impressive and important things that we have. 

      Diversity is very important in school as it impacts the education of students. Diversity can promote creativity. Diversity can also enable a wider chance for different perspectives in information, leading to better decision making and problem solving. While working and learning with people from a variety of different backgrounds and cultures present in the classroom, students gain a more comprehensive understanding of the subject matter as many are able to express different points of views from their perspective. It also teaches students how to use their own strengths and points of view to contribute to a diverse working environment. The Queen University of Charlotte website states, “Diversity among students in education directly impacts their performance. Studies show that students work better in a diverse environment, enabling them to concentrate and push themselves further when there are people of other backgrounds working alongside them.” This study shows that having diversity in schools is important as it affects and impacts the students’ learning environment. Many students can learn and grow from one another because of their differences in race and ethnicity. 

     The Holyoke Public Schools website shows Holyoke High School race percentage from the year 2020-2021. The school population is approximately  72% Hispanic, 23% White, 3% Black, 1% Asian and 2% other ethnic groups. This shows how diverse Holyoke High School is. Being a student at Holyoke High and being surrounded by other students with different racial and ethnic backgrounds has opened up an opportunity for me to see things in different perspectives and learn new things everyday in a general form, especially when it comes to my education. Not only has having a wide variety of different races and ethnicities around me impacted me and my learning, but having a large number of the same race as mine has had an impact. Being Hispanic and having other Hispanics in the same learning environment as me has given me the chance to relate and feel connected to others when it comes to ideas and opinions on certain topics. 

     In conclusion, I believe that diversity is very important in schools as it impacts the education of students, promotes creativity and shows a wider chance for different perspectives in information, leading to better decision making and problem solving. Students also gain a more comprehensive understanding of the subject matter as many are able to express different points of views from their perspective. Not only is having a wide variety of different racial and ethnic backgrounds important, but also having a big number of the same race and ethnic background because it helps students relate and feel connected to those who have the same racial and ethnical background, when it comes to ideas and opinions on various topics. The diversity of Holyoke High School is one of the most impressive and important things we have. Our diversity makes us who we are. We are Holyoke High School.