For many at Bishop Noll, there is pride in diversity. From boasting a 51.7% of students being hispanic to students participating in everything from Mexican heritage pageants to Black History Month skits, it is not without saying that Bishop Noll prides itself, and rightly so on boasting the most diverse student population, as well as what could be considered a diverse lineup of classes and clubs that nurture and foster this love of diversity.

      Bishop Noll offers a plethora of classes ranging from multiple foreign language classes (Chinese, Spanish and French) as well as other classes such as Ethnic Literature to aid in student and faculty drive to continue to be the face of diversity in Northwest Indiana.

       On top of academics, Bishop Noll also boasts a multicultural club, run by English teacher, Ms. Samantha Chapleau. For Chapleau, the decision to have a club such as Multicultural Club was relevant from the very first time she met the students of Bishop Noll.

      “The overall goal of Multicultural Club for this year is to help our own diverse student population appreciate its diversity. In addition, my hope for students is they will learn a little bit more about unfamiliar cultures and come to an appreciation of them, as well,” Chapleau said.

     Along with the increased interest of those involved within the Multicultural Club, the push to create a more diverse, more applicable English class became apparent last year, and so came Ethnic Literature. With a class focused on writers and poets from people of color to the underlying social, political and/or economic issues, many students were excited to be able to relate to the works that they are reading.

     Along with both the Multicultural Club and Ethnic Literature class, students are also allowed the experience of joining in on field trips that range from college fairs and scholarship workshops that focus on diversity, such as the METAS conference which offers scholarships and college aid for Hispanic students. Another such example is just recently, on January 16th, ten Bishop Noll students went to Purdue Northwest for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, where Bishop Noll alum Judge Gonzalo Curiel spoke of the need for diversity and education when it comes to diversity, as well as those who have experienced adversity in the face of diversity.

For students interested in becoming more involved with other cultures and diversity, the Multicultural Club is planning a special field trip to African American History Month, as well as Junior Chandler Leavell hoping to form a group based on African American History.

     According to Leavell, “For black history month I have put together a black history choir that is going to sing during Ash Wednesday mass on February 14th. There will also be an event during SRT on February 28th. There are problems in this world where racist things are said by a person that may not be racist simply because of lack of knowledge. My goal is to do my best to educate other races and even African Americans about their culture”.