300+ Links of Love

Students, parents, and staff members last week contributed more than 300 construction-paper “Links of Love” in a project to honor immigrants’ contributions to our country and communities. On Thursday third graders taped and stapled the links into a single chain, which they displayed at lunchtime, then hung in the Hallway Gallery on Tier 1.

Students in preschool through fifth grade participated, making links and responding to age-appropriate discussion prompts. Children from preschool through first grade, for example, were asked to suggest “ways we can show someone new that we’re glad they’re here.” Second through fifth graders wrote messages on links based on class discussions in response to prompts such as “What challenges might your ancestors have had to overcome to migrate to America?” Classes read stories about immigrants’ experiences.

On Monday through Wednesday mornings, members of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Committee, which sponsored the project, passed out paper strips to parents who were at school to drop off their children—or who made special trips onto campus to pick some up.

“Many parents shared how meaningful it was to have a space to process the current climate of uncertainty,” committee member Marisa Hemenez reports. “These were more than just conversations; there were many tearful moments of unity and shared purpose. Many families took handfuls of blank strips home to engage in deeper reflection together during the evening.”

A first grade parent said that taking part in the project meant “making the active, daily choice to build a culture where everyone feels they belong. My hope is that our children are seeing how we’re working for the idea that future generations of immigrants shouldn’t have to fight for space, but are welcomed for their uniqueness.”