Steamboat Springs High School students and staff celebrated their differences and their similarities during the school’s first-ever Diversity Week May 15 to 19. The observance was kicked off with a school-wide assembly featuring a presentation by Schuyler Bailar, the first openly transgender athlete to compete on a Division 1 men’s college sports team.

The Harvard swimmer spoke about his journey and his struggle to “fit in,” and based on the response from students, which was demonstrated during the question-and-answer time after his speech, the young man’s words resonated with them.

We are proud of our local school district for being courageous in bringing a topic like this into the mainstream conversation and for supporting a student-led effort to educate people about different races, religions, genders and cultures.

Read more at Steamboat Today.