Yesterday, students and staff had a day off from school to observe the Jewish holiday Yom Kipur. This holiday, along with the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr observed in May, was added to the Chesterfield County academic calendar for the first time last school year, bringing these holidays into the mainstream. While this move is a step toward making school a more inclusive place, students celebrating more unorthodox holidays (contrary to what is usual, traditional, or accepted) must still go to class while others have days or even weeks of vacation. Students like me, who observe holidays not on the official academic calendar, have to multitask commemoration, attending school, and completing homework. Chesterfield County students and staff had 20 days off from school this year for holidays last year. None of these days recognized observances in the Buddhist, Hindu, or Jehovah’s Witness belief systems.

This discrepancy grants an unfair disadvantage to those students who celebrate holidays that are not part of the academic calendar, especially because these holidays are not recognized in school. This issue partly stems from the fact that some religious holidays and traditions do not have fixed dates, such as the Jewish Bat Mitzvah or the Muslim Tadkhar. A solution for this matter could be found in the example of other school districts who give students floating holidays, allowing families to choose their days off.

This is also where the separation of church and state factors in, which protects us from the tyranny of one religious group or tradition invalidating another. However, mainstream holidays are recognized in casual ways in classrooms across the country: worksheets and decorations with Santa or ”Merry Christmas” messages might get passed out to an entire class, while unorthodox holidays are rarely noticed in such a manner. This practice leaves students and staff who celebrate those unacknowledged holidays feeling obscure. However, the administration at Manchester assures that the recent addition of Yom Kippur and Eid al-Fitr signifies a commitment to inclusion.

“Chesterfield is focusing on equity; that is one of the core values, and I think they are trying to incorporate more holidays that take in more cultures,” Assistant Principal Ms. Lundy says. “We do try to incorporate activities that would actually take in all cultures so that everyone would feel like they belong and they’re looked upon as being important.” Manchester is becoming more inclusive day by day with clubs and resources like the Lancer Ladies and the staff/student equity team initiative. This commitment to inclusion may see our school gradually introducing, as well as including, a diversity of holidays into our school and community.