Unity + Diversity

Why Does Diversity Matter at NCCS?

"After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands..."

Revelations 7:9

The NCCS Vision for Unity + Diversity

The purpose of the NCCS unity and diversity effort is to support the mission of the school, intentionally reflecting the biblical mandate to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, celebrating diversity, seeking equity, and fostering a culture of hospitality and belonging.

We strive to deepen our understanding, respect and love for others, while assessing and improving our programs and experiences, resulting in a beautifully diverse, biblically grounded community that is enriched and unhindered as we impact the world for Christ.

A group of Upper School students prays together at North Cobb Christian School.

Our Beautifully Diverse NCCS Family

The NCCS Unity + Diversity Council

The Unity + Diversity Council at North Cobb Christian School does the important and critical work of ensuring that our school reflects God's gift of diversity for the world. As a school, we recognize that our community is much stronger as we embrace the richness found in the diversity of traditions, race, ethnicity, culture, heritage, experience and background of each individual.

The council is comprised of parents, faculty, staff, leadership, and board members. During regularly scheduled meetings, the council and subcommittees work through specific diversity goals and initiatives for our campus. Our desire is to be intentional in celebrating the differences that our Creator carefully knit together to form the family we call NCCS.

Email our NCCS Diversity Council

Council Members
LaRonna Turnbough
Dee Moore
Cherry Go
Melissa Nelson
Carol Ribeiro
Alphonso Taylor
Jim VanKirk
Todd Clingman
Chip Houston
Elizabeth Cossick

Unity + Diversity Focus Areas

Four categories of focus for unity + diversity initiatives at NCCS:

Teaching + Learning | Classrooms + curriculum, academics, field trips, and learning experiences.
Student Experience | Arts, Athletics, Student Life, clubs, retreats, events, Spring Term, Advisory Groups, etc.
Employee Experience | Recruiting + hiring, staff development, leadership, in-service opportunities, etc.
Parent Experience + Engagement | Parent events, PTF, seminars, career day, parent volunteers, etc.

Unity + Diversity Initiatives

Unity + Diversity Council Strategy Sessions

The Unity + Diversity Council at North Cobb Christian School is comprised of a diverse group of parents, faculty and staff members who meet regularly throughout the year to strategize and speak authentically about how NCCS is doing at addressing and celebrating diversity in the four categories above -- teaching + learning, parent experience, student experience, and employee experience. Through the council, initiatives are identified and next steps solidified. The council also advises on student issues and school communications or social media posts related to cultural celebrations, topics, and more.

September 2021 | Unity + Diversity Council Meeting - Gallery Walk activity on four focal points Part I

October 2021 | Unity + Diversity Council Meeting - Gallery Walk activity on four focal points Part II

March 2022 | Unity + Diversity Council Meeting - Next Steps: Student + Parent Focus Groups

June 2022 | Virtual collaboration with Unity + Diversity Council around school-wide communications.

Unity + Diversity through Student Life

Student Life activities provide unique opportunities to include diversity across ability, race and culture, so that every student sees themselves modeled during strategic discipleship opportunities throughout the year. Whether through weekly chapel speakers for K3-12th grade, annual fall retreat for 5th-12th grade, Spiritual Emphasis week for all middle and upper school students, service projects for preschool through senior year, or Spring Term trips for 5th-12th, students have many opportunities to see Christianity modeled for them by adults and older teens both with whom they can relate -- and through whom their worldviews can be broadened.

Reinforcing NCCS's Unity + Diversity vision through chapel:

September 2021 | Dr. Chip Houston spoke on identity -- both celebrating God-given uniqueness and finding your truest identity as an image-bearer of God.
October 2021 | Algernon Tennyson spoke on diversity, identity, and bravery through forgiveness.
October 2021 | Strategy meeting with Unity + Diversity Council members and Parker Smith (Upper School Student Life) and Aaron Williams (Middle School Student Life) to discuss unity + diversity themes and speakers for upcoming chapels.
November 2021 | Pastor Chris Norman encouraged students to follow Christ at all costs, even giving up being a top NFL draft pick to become a pastor.
January 2022 | Joshua Goodling spoke to students on how God uses people from all backgrounds, abilities and experiences to make a big impact in the world.
February 14-18 | Spiritual Emphasis Week | Speaker Daniel Ritchie, born without arms, was our keynote speaker for the week, bringing a message centered around knowing your worth in God despite differences, abilities, or the world’s view of you.
April 2022 | Easter Chapel with Otha Turnbough
Pastor Turnbough from Lionheart Church led our MS + US Easter Chapels, challenging students to strengthen their faith and to live for eternity.

Diversity Among Students, Faculty + Staff

NCCS makes it an intentional priority to cultivate a diverse student and faculty population. Intentional efforts include working with national recruiters, developing relationships between our college counseling department and HBCUs, growing our participant base in the Georgia GOAL Scholarship Program, and publishing job postings via multiple outlets and connections to promote a broad and diverse applicant pool.

Through the generous donations of several NCCS families and businesses in partnership with Georgia GOAL, NCCS is honored and humbled to provide annual scholarships to children at Calvary Children's Home, who are a treasured part of the fabric of our school community.

Spring Term | Global Impact K3 - 12th Grade

Every spring, each Lower School class sponsors an Upper School Spring Term team, learning about the cultures reflective of each team's destination while also building relationships with each other across age, culture and background.

The Upper School students meet with their Lower School counterparts to learn about their trip and geographic area, pray together, and explore ministry opportunities. Some teams also connect virtually with their Lower School classes during their trips, connecting live to show their younger peers the culture in which they are immersed.

Spring Term offers every student from K3 through twelfth grade the opportunity to explore, appreciate and impact cultures different from their own -- from socioeconomic diversity in their own backyard to linguistic and cultural diversity abroad.

WORLD LANGUAGE SUMMIT

North Cobb Christian School founded and annually hosts the World Language Summit, spearheaded by the NCCS World Language teachers and originated by French teacher Mrs. Andrea Dignon.

This one-day interactive summit invites language educators from schools throughout the state and southeast to collaborate in a think-tank-style intensive seminar. The goal is to strengthen best practices, making language and culture studies relevant to today's teens, broadening global perspectives and understanding.

The Great Kindness Challenge

Held annually, the NCCS Great Kindness Challenge is a school-wide initiative that challenges students during chapel, classes, and extracurriculars to foster a culture of belonging. Students are encouraged to be welcoming and kind to all -- especially to those not within their daily social sphere.

January 24-28, 2022 | Great Kindness Challenge
During chapel, special guest Joshua Goodling spoke to all MS + US students. At the age of four, Joshua was diagnosed with a deadly type of cancer. The doctors said he had one week to live, and his chance of survival was zero. That was 50 years ago. He daily faces obstacles and health challenges resulting from the cancer, and life has not been easy, but he uses his faith, experiences, and lessons learned to impact and encourage people all over the world. Joshua encouraged our students that God works in mighty ways through people of all backgrounds, experiences and abilities.

January 2022 | Great Kindness Challenge CHOA Family Pantry Drive
Students tangibly put themselves in the shoes of children and families experiencing serious illness or transplants and held a drive to restock the Family Pantries at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. The drive was completely student-led, spearheaded by Lilly Aabye (class of 2022), and students from every grade level brought in so many donations that every Family Pantry at CHOA was fully stocked -- plus there were enough items leftover to then also stock the pantry at the Ronald McDonald House in Atlanta, as well. The student-led efforts were featured by WSB-TV.

WSB TV Berndt Peterson interviews NCCS student Lilly Aabye on her participation in the CHOA pantry food drive.

Article by Berndt Petersen, WSB-TV
February 07, 2022

Lilly Aabye says at her school they do everything they can to help those in need.

“I wanted to be able to help give back to these people in any kind of way I could,” Aabye said.

Last week, students at North Cobb Christian School donated and boxed up a large load of snacks and sent it to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

The donation restocked special food pantries the hospital provides free of charge to parents whose children are there for treatment.

“There are parents and families. And with COVID, I know it has impacted the donations. So this was our chance to refill the pantry and bless those families in a real tangible way,” Siller said.

Siller is not just a counselor at the school; her daughter receives treatment at CHOA. She says parents often spend hours, or even days and weeks, at the hospital.

Having a few snacks within reach is more important than most realize.

“They filled the pantry at CHOA and had an overflow to send to the Ronald McDonald House,” Head of School Todd Clingman said.

The Ronald McDonald House also does great work supporting families with children in the hospital. Aabye was happy to help.

“This is one of the ways we could show we’re there in support of these families by giving them snacks and food and just comfort,” Aabye said.

Cultural Heritage Days | Pedestal Foods

Pedestal Foods hosts international food celebration days throughout the school year, highlighting authentic menu items from different regions of the world. Our students are exposed to traditional food, decor, music and more during these festive lunchtimes in our own Blue & White Bistro!

October 2021 | Hispanic Heritage Month
Hispanic Heritage Day hosted by Pedestal Foods for all Middle + Upper School diners, with menu input from NCCS faculty members Yvette Romine (Cuban heritage) and Lupe Guerrero (Spanish and Mexican heritage). Menu: Homemade Taquitos, Homemade Bean Burritos, Cuban Sandwiches, Plantains, Authentic Spanish Rice, Refried/Black Beans, and Authentic Mexican "Pizza."

November 2021 | French Heritage Day
A delicious and authentic French heritage day was hosted by Pedestal Foods along with our French language students and Madame Dignon for all Middle + Upper School diners. Menu: Croque Monsieurs, Tourtières, Charcuterie, Cordon Bleu, Crêpes, La Pizza Française, Poutine, Soupe à L'Oignon, Éclairs, Tartes au Beurre, Salade Verte, Perrier & LaCroix

March 2022 | Oceania Heritage Day
Pedestal Foods presented an authentic menu and cultural decor from nations of Oceania. Menu: Kiwi Kebabs with Beef, Chicken, Shrimp, and fresh vegetables options; Fish and Chips: Hand Breaded Cod with Steak Cut Potatoes (Like England, New Zealand is an island nation; therefore fish is an important part of their diet); Meat Pie: Personal size pie with meat, cheese, mushroom, and onions; New Zealand Bushman Sandwich: Sliced Ham, Roast Beef, Avocado, Cucumber, Provolone, with a dallop of garlic aioli, and BBQ
sauce on the side.

Black History Bowl | Hosting + Participating

Black History Month Studies + Celebrations

February 2022 | Black History Month
While the history of Black Americans is taught throughout the year in all subjects, Black History Month provides a unique opportunity to celebrate and recognize the contributions of lesser known historical figures to our amazing nation.

Black History Month at NCCS kicks off annually with the Black History Bowl, a round of which has been hosted at NCCS in the Fine Arts Building during the past two years.

Throughout the month, Lower School, Middle School and Upper School celebrate Black History Month by reading books, studying historic people and events, focusing on influential Black Americans during morning announcements, walking through a Google presentation called Those Who Led the Way (compiled by first grade teacher Melissa Nelson), and having intentional classroom discussions about the beauty of all cultures. Mr. McDonald has also traditionally hosted Black History Trivia in Flipside after school program, as well.

Click to view slideshow, below:

First slide of a slideshow for Black History Month, with the words "Those Who Led The Way" over a background of the Milky Way

Professional Learning | Diversity Focus

Feb. 2022 | Winter Break Professional Learning
Dr. Aaron Howard shared with all faculty and staff about spiritual formation, our mission, and unity+diversity, aligning with our wildly important goal. Upper School had another opportunity to meet with Dr. Howard to discuss classroom applications of spiritual formation and unity+diversity.

2020-2021 | Dr. Michael Evans
Diversity consultant Dr. Michael Evans worked extensively with NCCS faculty, as well as with our Unity + Diversity Council, throughout 2020-2021 to audit curriculum materials and foster a movement from exposure to empathy with regards to diversity instruction and perspectives. During ongoing professional learning sessions throughout the year, Dr. Evans met with faculty across Lower, Middle, Upper, Arts and Athletics. He also led an in-depth diversity training session for the NCCS Leadership Team, as well as a half-day retreat for the NCCS Unity + Diversity Council.

International Student Program + Global Impact Team

North Cobb Christian School partners with families from around the world to host and educate students through our International Student Program. Since launching the International Student Program in 2006, our school has welcomed students from China, Korea, Vietnam, Brazil, Germany, Panama and more. In fact, 10 percent of recent graduating classes was comprised of international students! These students are given a top-notch education as they experience true American life alongside one of our amazing homestay families. In turn, they impart a beautiful, diverse element to our school family.

As part of our mission to “impact culture,” we recognize the unique opportunity that this program provides for students to grow in their understanding of their world. The NCCS Global Impact Program (GIP) is designed to provide both domestic and international students with intentional opportunities to form relationships with each other and to celebrate and appreciate cultures from around the world.

Multicultural Appreciation Lunch Group

LS Counselor Carol Ribeiro hosts a lunch group for 3rd and 4th grade students who wanted to participate, focusing on food and customs from countries around the world, presented by NCCS parents and faculty members. In 2022, the program included Lithuania presented by Ms. DenHartog; France presented by Madame Dignon; Brazil presented by Mrs. Ribeiro; Scotland presented by Coach Graeme King, and Haiti presented by Mrs. Marie Louis.

Student points at a map on the wall with a big smile.

Teaching + Learning Integration

Lower School Counseling Lessons

At NCCS, our preschool and Lower School students benefit from regular classroom lessons led by our Lower School counselor. Biblical identity formation and celebrating diversity are a significant focus during many of those lessons. From diversity appreciation to recognizing God's creativity in designing our diverse world, students gain a firm foundation of loving God and loving their neighbors as themselves.

Parents receive a communication after the counseling lessons, encouraging them to continue the conversation at home: "Today your child has learned to celebrate diversity. Our goal is that each child will demonstrate self-awareness, family pride, and positive social identities. We hope every child will celebrate diversity with comfort and joy using accurate language for human differences and learn to develop deep, caring human connections (Teaching Tolerance 2017). Let’s bring the conversation home. Talk about the different people God has created. Talk to your child about what it means to love ourselves and others as human beings created in God’s image."

Spanish K3 - 12th Grade

Students in preschool K3 through 12th grade are offered Spanish class as a required elective in K3 - 7th and a World Language option, along with French, for 8th - 12th. During Spanish class, students glean an appreciation for the language, art, food, customs and perspectives of Latino and Hispanic cultures. With this foundation of burgeoning understanding, students can then examine culture from a biblical perspective of compassion, understanding, and appreciation.

Preschool + Lower School Black History Studies

Annually in January and February, every Lower School grade level intentionally focuses on Black history, including historically significant events and influential individuals like Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Rosa Parks, Bessie Coleman, George Washington Carver, Garrett Morgan, Ruby Bridges, Jackie Robinson and more. Cultural elements including music, geography and more are also celebrated.

Lower School grade levels also read and have the opportunity to check out featured books focused on Black history in the Reading Room during their regular library time. Expanding the diverse titles in the Reading Room has been a successful initiative in recent years, with library shelves now housing dozens of current, engaging, high-quality titles focused on celebrating biblical diversity.

Middle School Black History Bowl Team

Upper School Psychology

During Upper School Psychology, concepts of self-worth, identity, and appreciation of diversity in race and background are explored. One aspect of the course explores "The Dolls Test" conducted by husband and wife psychologists Drs. Mamie and Kenneth Clark to show the detrimental impact of segregation and racism on the self-concept of children of color. These findings were used to inform the decision in Brown vs. the Board of Education. Students dive into the Clarks' research, analytically exploring its impact and applying it to their own lives, today.

In an interview on the award-winning PBS documentary of the Civil Rights movement, “Eyes on the Prize,” Dr. Kenneth Clark recalled, “The Dolls Test was an attempt on the part of my wife and me to study the development of the sense of self-esteem in children. We worked with Negro children—I’ll call black children—to see the extent to which their color, their sense of their own race and status, influenced their judgment about themselves, self-esteem. We’ve now—this research, by the way, was done long before we had any notion that the NAACP or that the public officials would be concerned with our results. In fact, we did the study fourteen years before Brown, and the lawyers of the NAACP learned about it and came and asked us if we thought it was relevant to what they were planning to do in terms of the Brown decision cases. And we told them it was up to them to make that decision and we did not do it for litigation. We did it to communicate to our colleagues in psychology the influence of race and color and status on the self-esteem of children.”

Likewise, students also watched and responded to a video of Jane Elliot's "Brown Eyes/Blue Eyes" anti-racism experiment that she conducted in response to Dr. King's death.

Ninth Grade Cross-Curricular Studies

Students in 9th grade study diverse perspectives across all subjects, including:

HISTORY | Students analyze Martin Luther King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail," examining and exploring Christian responsibility to see and stand against injustice through political, non-violent action.

ENGLISH | Students explore unique perspectives gleaned from Martin Luther King's"I Have a Dream" speech, as expressed through argumentative writing. During ELL Intro to Literature, NCCS international students also read and respond to "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," giving voice to explorations of biblical responses to injustice, as well as reading A Raisin in the Sun.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION | During the month of February, each class begins by learning about an accomplished athlete, exploring contributions to sports history across culture and background.

COMPUTER GRAPHICS 1 AND 2 | Students research and create posters celebrating Black History Month by highlighting individuals from who are both well known and lesser known. The project includes three prongs: creating a magazine cover to visually display life contributions, generating an infographic that visually depicts facts and images, and compiling a digital timeline showcasing the individual's life and accomplishments.

TENTH Grade Cross-Curricular Studies

Students in 10th grade study diverse perspectives across all subjects, including:

HISTORY | Students focus on the African American experience during WWI, including studying the Harlem Hellfighters, moving from exposure towards empathy while exploring diverse experiences during significant American historical events.

ENGLISH | Students dive into the Harlem Renaissance during a multicultural poetry unit, exploring diverse perspectives, poetic styles and personal expression across cultures.

BIBLE | During Black History month, classes incorporate a devotion, photo, and short story featuring individuals from minority cultures, celebrating the linguistic, geographic, and historic diversity of God's world.

COMPUTER PROGRAMMING and AP COMPUTER SCIENCE | Students are challenged to explore and identify historical figures within the framework of Computer Science. Learners also engage in a "think session" on how they might use technology to reduce and eradicate discrimination within their spheres of influence and the broader world.

ELEVENTH GRADE CROSS-CURRICULAR STUDIES

Students in 11th grade study diverse perspectives across all subjects, including:

HISTORY | During AP U.S. History, students explore American history from diverse perspectives, intentionally studying black businessmen during the Age of Industry, in addition to the traditional Robber Barons/Captains of Industry. Students also engage critically by writing an essay (DBQ for APUSH) on whether African Americans experienced change or continuity in the decades following the Civil War. The life and sacrifices of Dr. King are also explored on a deeply personal level, bridging student understanding from impersonal information to empathy by examining how Dr. King and his family received threats at their homes in Montgomery and Atlanta, including the phone threats, bombs and burning crosses that his family endured. Students also examine how Dr. King was fighting 90 years after the end of the Civil War for the rights that should have been granted almost a century before. Students also dive into Dr. King's life and career as a pastor, recognizing the sacrifices he made in the face of grave danger to follow his conviction and calling to fight for justice and equality.

ENGLISH | Students read and reflect on literary contributions of diverse Americans, including Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I a Woman" and "Keeping Things Going" with a focus on rhetorical analysis during American Lit.

FRENCH | Upper level French students take virtual walks through Paris, focusing on African Americans who fled the U.S. for France during time of oppression and racism in the States.

COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN | Adinkra Symbols
Background: Adinkra are symbols from Ghana that represent concepts or aphorisms and are used extensively in fabrics, logos and pottery, as well as being incorporated into walls and other architectural features. Adinkra symbols also appear on some traditional Akan goldweights. Students review a chart of Adinkra symbols and select three to further explore. They then integrate biblical truth into their exploration of the symbols, identifying Bible verses that correspond with their chosen symbols. They then use CAD to create the symbols in preparation for 3D printing - being mindful of size, printing capabilities and technological limitations. The final culmination is to 3D print one of their digitally created symbols.

ENGINEERING | Students create a microphone modeled after the invention of Dr. James West. Co-inventor of the microphone, Dr. James West created the technology that is still used by over 90 percent of microphones today. Students first research Dr. West and his achievements before creating a simple yet functioning microphone, serving also as an introduction to the upcoming electricity unit.

TWELFTH GRADE CROSS-CURRICULAR STUDIES

ENGLISH | Students spend a unit focusing on arguments of evaluation and Zora Neale Hurston, an American author, anthropologist, and filmmaker who portrayed racial struggles in the early-1900s American South. The most popular of her four novels is Their Eyes Were Watching God, published in 1937.

BIBLE | Students dive into the ‘Living Water’ lesson with the Samaritan Woman. In this lesson, students focus on the theme of Jesus’ universal love, talking about prejudices and class differences in our own culture and society. Students reflect on their own bias/prejudice as taught directly or indirectly through their family or society. Explorations of the concept extend beyond racial injustice, focusing also on socio-economic differences and regional and cultural prejudices. The study culminates in writing a personal reflective narrative on how Jesus’ love for everyone can be reflected in their own daily living.

We engage in a 'think session' with students about how we might use technology to eradicate discrimination both on personal levels within our own spheres of influence and in the world, as a whole.
Jim Bitner, Upper School Computer Science Instructor

The wooden cross in the Prayer Garden at sunrise.

North Cobb Christian School is an interdenominational Christian, college-preparatory day school for grades K3-12. We operate as an independent, self-governing non-profit organization. We believe that the very essence of a student’s Christian education is not only academic, but should include the integration of scripture and the application of biblical truth in every aspect of life.

North Cobb Christian School admits students and considers employment applicants regardless of race, color, ethnic, or national origin who possess the motivation, ability, and character that would enable them to succeed in our school community to the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students, faculty, and staff at our school.
NCCS does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnic, or national origin in the administration of its educational policies, employment decisions, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.