Two OP clubs recognized for highlighting diversity

Sometimes a group’s real success is measured not by what they know, but by the knowledge they share with others.

Osbourn Park’s African-American Awareness Club and International Heritage Society have been recognized on the state level for consistently fostering a better understanding of racial and ethnic issues throughout their school community. Their actions have drawn the attention of the Virginia Education Association and have earned them the VEA’s Fitz Turner Award for Outstanding Contributions in Intergroup Relations.

"The students who participate in these programs have grown in confidence and shown their willingness to reach out to other groups within our school and in society," says OP’s Achievement Behavioral Specialist Sam Sanders, who serves as the clubs’ sponsor.

The school clubs have repeatedly worked to increase awareness through a variety of creative after-school programs and cultural displays on the history and heritage of diverse groups. Group members have also launched fundraising campaigns linked to hurricane relief efforts, sponsored cultural awareness programs such as the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Oratorical Contest, and participated in numerous community events aimed at highlighting diversity.

“Through their successful work with children and youth, recipients of the Fitz Turner Commission awards are helping to realize the promise of greater quality and multi-cultural understanding in our schools and communities,” says Nancy Vollmer, Chairman of the Fitz Turner Commission.

The Fitz-Turner award was presented to the groups during the annual Delegate Assembly of the Virginia Education Association in Norfolk. The state-level recognition also earned all club participants an Academics Award at the School Division’s latest Classy Awards ceremony on June 6.

Visit Osbourn Park High School’s Web site

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