LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) – It's a simple concept making a big difference. Fairdale High School in Jefferson County is incredibly diverse and home to more than a dozen languages. A group of students wanted to make sure everyone feels included, and a teacher’s suggestion helped them get started.
Fittingly enough, it came from the school's leadership class taught by Dawn Foley. One of her coworkers saw it somewhere else and gave her the idea to put up welcome signs in different languages. Ms. Foley said she pitched it to her kids, and they took it and ran with it, giving the school a transformation in more ways than one.
High school can be hard. The four years can be full of ups and downs and twists and turns. It is a reality Fairdale hopes to rewrite one hallway at a time.
"Something small can make a big change,” senior Bella Huerta said.
The are simple phrases familiar for some and foreign for others.
"I feel like it's the best way to speak to everyone,” junior Janet Mulungula
"It makes everybody, no matter what language they speak, feel like they're a part of something,” junior Cassidy McCombs said.
More than 1200 kids call Fairdale home, but they represent all parts of the world.
"I speak Bosnian and English,” freshman Ajdin Ekic said.
"I speak Spanish,” Huerta said.
"I just speak English,” McCombs said.
"I speak Swahili, English, Zulu, a little bit of French, and I'm learning Spanish,” Mulungula said.
Lots of languages look different, but this plethora of posters promote the same message.
"We just wanted the kids and everybody in this building to know that we are all one, big family,” Foley said.
They are words to wipe away fear.
"I feel like some kids come to school and don't feel like they're welcome. They might worry if people will laugh at the way they speak or their accent or the languages they speak. I feel like they need to be proud of how they speak and what they speak,” Mulungula said.
They are words to create community.
"It feels great. everyone can come together and enjoy each other. Everyone can feel safe around each other,” Ekic said.
They are words to include and empower.
"By looking at the signs, it really makes people feel some type of way,” Mulungula said.
They are words that make Fairdale family.
"Everyone is welcome here, and we wanted them to know how proud we are to have every single individual in this building,” Foley said.
Ms. Foley said this is meant to be a permanent project at Fairdale. She said she plans to leave the posters up until they fall down or they have to make new ones. Judging by our visit today, she'll have no problem finding volunteers to help her.
►Contact reporter Sara Wagner at swagner@WHAS11.com. Follow her on Twitter (@WHAS11Sara) and Facebook.