Indiana University’s presence in Monroe county has led people from all across the globe to come to Bloomington, and make it their new home. Families leave their normal lives behind for the opportunities associated with the university.
The move across the globe is never easy, especially with children. University Elementary School understands the difficulty associated with a life-changing move with students. The school strives to be a global school, by setting as its focus global identity and diversity.
University Elementary School currently brings in the largest number of international students across the Monroe County Community School Cooperation.
The school is home to over 600 students, including international students from 32 different countries. University Elementary School’s international students speak 37 different languages. The large volume of globally-diverse students at University Elementary has led the school to seek become an International Baccalaureate School.
As an International Baccalaureate School, University Elementary plans programs of inquiry around 6 essential themes every year. Teachers within the school strive to incorporate authentic global components and themes into the education. Global inclusion is woven into the lesson plans inside subject learning within a classroom or with outside programs of education.
University Elementary’s most popular display of its global inclusion comes from it’s flag program.
5th grader James Rhoda describes the flag program in his own words. “Our cafeteria has dozens and dozens of flags and they represent the other countries in the school that other (students) have been born or native too.”
At University Elementary school there are a total of 68 flags currently hung across the ceiling in the cafeteria. These flags represent the nearly 70 countries of the students who have attended the school in its 30-year history. As a new student from an unrepresented country moves to University Elementary, a new flag.
University Elementary’s newest student without a flag in the cafeteria is 5th grader Isabelle O’Sullivan.
“When I first came here there wasn’t an Irish Flag so that was kind of disappointing”, said Isabelle.
Isabelle moved to the United States at the age of 6, leaving her old life behind.
“I had to leave all of my friends in Ireland and change schools and basically just leave everything,” said Isabelle.
Now 11 years old, Isabelle has spent 5 years in the US. During her half a decade spent in the United States, Isabelle has been a part of several other elementary schools, before finally finding a home at University Elementary.
Thanks her Principal Glen Hopkins, Isabelle’s green, white, and orange Ireland flag is now among the 67 flags displayed from the rafters of the elementary school cafeteria.
Isabelle said that being a part of a globally diverse school has allowed herself to find comfort.
“It makes me feel a little less unique and I kind of like that because in the other schools I was like one of the only people from a different big area, and here there’s a lot of different people from a little different places In the world,” said Isabelle.
Isabelle is not alone, as students from all across the world have found a home with University Elementary. Students from Africa, Asian, and everywhere in between have their own stories with their move and their connection to the school’s flag program.
