Diversity Celebrated At Dublin Elementary Assembly

DUBLIN, CA — Dublin has a message for children: Our diversity makes us great.

Since the 2017 to 2018 school year, Dublin High School has organized Dubversity, a week-long event of speeches and performances in which students of different races, belief systems and identities share their culture and experiences, said Dublin Unified School District spokesperson Chip Dehnert in an email. It's all about "understanding and accepting all the differences that make being a Gael great," he said.

Dublin Elementary School got a taste of Dubversity on Friday morning.

About 400 third- to fifth-grade students gathered for an optional assembly where students heard from a Dublin High mixed-race student and an LGBTQ+ student, and student groups Black Student Union and Latinos Unidos. High schoolers led conversations about jokes that aren't OK and the pitfalls of social media, Dehnert said.

There was a Chinese yo-yo performance, and dances from Punjabi and Latino troupes.

"We are thrilled to be the first elementary school in our district to embrace a Dubversity event, but we are confident we won’t be the last," Dublin Elementary Principal Lauren McGovern said in a statement. "It’s through the encouragement of understanding, awareness, acceptance, and inclusion that we will make our young Sharks well-rounded and caring adults."

Dublin Elementary staff said the speakers and performances were powerful and moving, Dublin High Principal Maureen Byrne said in the statement.

Dubversity was the brainchild of the Dublin Mayor's Council, a student group led by Mayor David Haubert. It's not mandatory , but assemblies are always packed, Dehnert said.

Event organizer Jasmin Kongsberg, a Dublin High senior and Mayor's Council member, said the Dublin Elementary event came after high schoolers presented at a DUSD staff development day meeting. Around that same time, Dublin Elementary parents contacted school officials to share students were making unacceptable joked about race, religion and skin color, she said.

"We wanted to show that DHS students don’t tolerate that type of behavior, because they will be future Gaels," Kongsberg said.