Thursday, October 1, 2026
Every morning, students and family members who walk through the front doors of Meadow Elementary School are greeted by the word “welcome” in a variety of languages.
Until recently, however, not every Meadow family could find themselves reflected there.
For fourth-grader Sothanee Sainsurin, whose family speaks Cambodian and Haitian Creole, the omission was impossible to ignore.
“I always loved that we had a welcome wall at Meadow, but I didn’t like that not all languages were included,” Sothanee wrote in an email to the Herald. “I am Cambodian and Haitian, and neither of my languages were on the wall. Some of my friends also felt left out.”
That realization sparked a months-long mission by Meadow School Girl Scout Troop 2210 — seven elementary students determined to make sure every child entering the building felt acknowledged.
As part of earning the Girl Scout Bronze Award, the highest honor available to Girl Scout Juniors, the troop identified a need in the school community and created a lasting solution: updating Meadow’s welcome mural to reflect more of the languages spoken by its students while also producing a multilingual storybook designed to teach students how to say “welcome” in many different languages.
The girls unveiled the completed project during Meadow School’s third annual Multicultural Festival on April 17.
According to the scouts, the original welcome wall was created in 2016, but Meadow’s school population has evolved significantly since then. As the girls looked around at classmates and neighbors, they realized that many students’ native languages and cultural backgrounds were not represented at one of the school’s most visible gathering points.
“When I didn’t see my languages on the wall, it made me feel a little invisible,” Sothanee wrote. “I wanted every student and family to feel proud of where they come from and know that their culture matters at our school.”
The scouts began by writing a letter to Meadow families, asking what languages were spoken in their homes and how each family says “welcome.” The responses, collected in a Google Form, gave the girls a broader understanding of the school’s linguistic diversity. Then they researched pronunciations, completed translations and partnered with the Art Studio, in Rockville Centre, to redesign the mural.
In addition to the wall, the girls created a storybook that students and visitors can use to learn the greetings.
“We wanted to create something that students and families could always use,” Sothanee wrote. “A storybook was a fun and easy way for people to learn how to say ‘welcome’ in different languages.”
The project took nearly 25 hours of planning, meetings, fundraising and collaborative work over the course of five months. The girls met in person, over Zoom and in group chats while balancing schoolwork and other activities.
“We realized that most students’ languages weren’t represented at the front of Meadow School and thought about how that would make someone feel,” fourth-grader Charlotte Friedman wrote in an email. “We planned to find all the languages spoken at home and add them to the mural.”
For the troop, the project was never simply about adding decorative words to a wall. It was about changing the message Meadow sends to everyone who walks inside.
“I think this project will help make sure nobody feels left out,” fourth-grader Eliana Eustache said.
The girls said the work also helped them better understand the importance of cultural awareness at a young age. “It helps us understand that other people may live differently than we do and helps us understand each other,” Eliana emailed.
Troop leader and Bronze Award adviser Sophea Sainsurin, said that watching the girls bring the idea to life over several months was a powerful reminder of how capable young students can be when they are trusted to lead meaningful change.
“I’ve known some of these girls since they were kindergartners and first-graders, and being with them for almost six years has made watching their growth incredibly special,” Sainsurin wrote. “You see them evolve from little girls with ideas into confident young leaders who know how to turn those ideas into action.”
Now, each morning, Meadow students are welcomed by an entrance that more fully reflects the many cultures and languages that make up their school community — a lasting reminder, created by children, that everyone belongs.
