The Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) committee will begin collecting paper butterflies today to decorate the halls this year.

The DEI committee passed out butterflies to Ac Lab homerooms last week for students to decorate with positive messages and designs. The finished butterflies will be collected to place on the walls in different patterns by the committee.

Senior Claireece Cross, co-president of the DEI committee, said being president means a lot to her because she wants to have a voice that makes kids from other cultures feel welcome.

“I’ve always wanted to do something like that because I do a lot with Black History Month,” Cross said. “I know with Rockwood, a lot of kids feel like they don’t fit in if they’re from a different culture since it’s predominantly white.”

Cross said she hopes to create more initiatives in the future to help with inclusion within the district.

“Right now we’re trying to help with the curriculum and adding in more Asian and African American history,” Cross said. “Instead of the same history courses. We’re trying to get that approved right now.”

Cross said the butterflies from last year were accidentally taken down over the summer, but he that the plan originally was to have each Freshman Class add to the butterflies already present on the walls. But after they were taken down, the DEI committee had to redo the initiative this year.

As a new member of the DEI committee, Desaray Higgins, junior, said it feels good to be a part of something greater.

“It’s nice because it feels like different people coming together,” Higgins said.

Higgins said she is excited to see the butterflies in the hallway.

Shelly Justin, language arts teacher and DEI champion at Marquette, said the DEI philosophy revolves around the butterfly effect, which means small actions make great change.

Justin said the butterflies are larger this year, so the committee will be doing more interesting things with them. The butterflies are meant to make students feel more warm, welcome and safe in the school environment.

“We thought this was a way for us to get every single person included in a project,” Justin said.

Justin said she felt a special feeling when she passed by the butterflies last year.

Justin said it was interesting that students didn’t tamper or bother the butterflies last year when they were in the hallways.

“I would really like more and more people to join us because I want it to be a healthy environment for students where they can say ‘I loved going to school every single day’,” Justin said.