Paly students will have the opportunity to break down stereotypes and become more educated about different communities during Paly’s Not In Our School Week, which will take place from April 20-24.

Not In Our School Week is organized by the Diversity Coalition, which consists of the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), Unity Club, Paly Green Team, Red Cross club, and the Associated Student Body (ASB). According to the Not In Our School Week flyer, the purpose of the event is to promote identity safety and to combat hate.

“A lot of it [Not In Our School Week] is bringing people from different backgrounds together,” senior Dorsey Bass, GSA vice president and entertainment organizer for the Diversity Coalition, said. “It’s about educating people about different communities at Paly.”

The Diversity Coalition organized lunchtime activities to help reach their goals. On April 20, there will be a Flag Ceremony which will begin at the quad and then march around the perimeter of the school This will be followed by Pacific Island dancers who will perform on the deck. This day of Not In Our School Week has parts of the International Festival incorporated into it because there will not be a separate event for the International Festival this year.

On April 21, all students are encouraged to decorate Not In Our School Week t-shirts on the quad at lunch, while Paly student bands Furious George and Theoretics perform.

The lunchtime activity scheduled for April 22 is called “Dissolving Stereotypes.” This activity consists of students writing stereotypes on pieces of paper and then dissolving them in a small pool of water. In addition, Talisman, an a cappella group from Stanford, will perform.

Students are invited to perform slam poetry at lunch on April 23. The Paly Dance Company and the Stompers, a dance group, will also perform.

On April 24, there will be an all-school barbecue, which is free for students. Grupo Luna y Sol, a folkloric ballet group from San Jose State University, will be performing.

“I am very excited that we are getting more student entertainment instead of outside entertainment this year,” senior Diversity Coalition Chair Alex Coblin said. “It shows that Paly students are getting more involved in Not In Our School Week and are more aware of the week.”

According to senior Diversity Coalition member Macy Stewart, the cost of running Not In Our School Week is very high since the coalition must pay for the performers and the all-school barbecue.

In order to pay these costs, the Diversity Coalition has been hosting, and will continue to host, many fundraisers. There is a car wash every Thursday and Friday in front of the Paly office. The coalition also has restaurant nights, where some of the proceeds from items bought by Paly students go toward the Diversity Coalition. Also, a fraction of the proceeds from items bought by Paly students on April 19 between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. at Books Inc. will go to the Diversity Coalition.