TUSTIN : Flags Unfurl as Tribute to Diversity

A.G. Currie Middle School students gathered Tuesday to celebrate their cultural diversity with the unfurling of 65 foreign flags that represent the homelands of many of the students. The flags, spanning the globe from Zimbabwe to Scotland to Brazil, will become a permanent fixture on the campus.

“Some people will look at this kind of diversity as an obstacle. We don’t,” said Principal Dan Brooks. “We are looking to build upon our diversity as a strength.”

Brooks said the flag ceremony is the first in a succession of activities the school hopes to organize to transform Currie into a “model multicultural school.” Currie is the first school in the county to recognize the ethnic diversity of its students by hanging flags from various countries.

“I think the flags will help people realize how many cultures there are in this school,” said Student Council President Jarond Suman. He added that being aware of the campus’ ethnic diversity will allow students to “understand each other better.”

Parents, teachers and administrators have been working since last school year to find ways to enhance Currie’s diversity and make it something students are proud of, said Todd Ferguson, co-president of the school’s Parent-Teacher Organization.

Currie is one of the Tustin Unified School District’s more ethnically diverse campuses. The student body is 40% white, 36% Latino, 10% black, 10% Asian and about 3% from other ethnic groups.

“It is not a microcosm of the district,” said Brooks of his school’s ethnic makeup. “I think we are more like a microcosm of Orange County reality.”

However, City Councilman Earl J. Prescott, who is up for reelection on Tuesday, said Currie Middle School’s diverse student population represents Tustin as a whole.

“The great accomplishment is that two years ago we did not recognize this as being Tustin. Now we are respecting (our cultural diversity) by acknowledging it and working together,” he said.

For some students, the flags represent a blend of cultures and backgrounds they have known since first stepping foot in a Currie classroom. Said sixth-grader Carlos Morales: “We don’t recognize each other as members of ethnic groups.”