Established in 1966, The Village School is ranked the most diverse school in Houston by Niche, with students from over 80 different nationalities calling Village their home. Over the many years following the school’s establishment, the student population has grown, with currently more than 1600 students in attendance. The impact of The Village School’s diversity on the learning experience is significant to each student, influencing them years beyond those spent at the school by widening their perspective on the diverse cultures of the world.

Once a year the March of Nations, in which students dress in their traditional regalia whilst marching around the track, is organized with the purpose of displaying the extensive number of different nationalities of the students at The Village School. “It started about 4 years ago and we knew we had a very diverse community,” said Kim Healy, Director of Community Relations and one of the organizers of the March of Nations. “We decided to celebrate that and so we were trying to think of ways to do it and there is nothing that involves students from two years old to seniors and this was gonna be the one big event that we could get everyone involved with.”

 One of the goals of the event is to encourage engagement with the celebration of diverse cultures and traditions. “We started it by saying you know, let’s march for our countries, dress up like our countries, wear our country colors, and we would alphabetize and march around the track, and it’s just gotten bigger.” Healy said, as a brief description of March of Nations. Gathering with the countries in which students originate, each country and their people walk around the running track with their flag as well as being dressed in their traditional clothing. Once all of the countries have made their way around, they sit down as various students perform and speak of their experiences and insight. After the march and performances, high school students get to choose from a variety of activities to participate in for the rest of the day. An example of these are exploring the many tastes of the world, safe spaces for different groups of people, and discussing worldly topics. A portion of The Village School’s international students board and live at the school from abroad, while others move from across the world for their parents’ careers.

As mentioned in the Nord Anglia Village School website, the students of The Village School represent over 80 different nationalities from all over the world. “I think it makes students much more accepting of other cultures, and living on a daily basis with all these different cultures makes you more open-minded and ready to travel and ready to experience life in a much more open way,” said Healy. The experiences and knowledge of the many different cultures The Village School presents students with can affect their lives and everyday interactions with others, from both home and around the world. Events like March of Nations help promote and celebrate their diverse community, honoring each and every student’s country and culture.

Resources

“2024 Most Diverse Schools in the Houston Area.” Niche, www.niche.com/k12/search/most-diverse-schools/m/houston-metro-area/. Accessed 3 Nov. 2023. 

“Campus: The Village School.” Campus | The Village School, www.nordangliaeducation.com/village-houston/campus#about-us. Accessed 3 Nov. 2023.