The celebration of Diversity Week at Langston Hughes Middle School came to a peak on Monday, April 29, with speeches by guest speakers, including Robert E. Simon, the founder of Reston. In an event which took place at the school hall, guest speakers spoke on the topic “How does Diversity Make Reston a Special Place to Live and Learn?”

In her speech, Lynn Lilienthal, representing the Reston Museum, said, “Reston is an open and a non-segregated community,” a situation which has been the idea of the founder since December 1964 when the first set of people moved into the city.”

Reston’s founder, Robert E. Simon, spoke about early days of Reston and his encounters with people from different countries and backgrounds on his daily walk along a path near Lake Anne.

Other speakers at the event praised Simon’s vision and spoke about what they love about the diversity of the city and why Reston is a special place to live. They included Supervisor Cathy Hudgins (D-Hunter Mill) and Ellen Graves, who also represents the Reston Museum.

Also at the event was a presentation of awards to the winners of the Diversity Week writing contest. Kelly Le, Elli Imel and Vanessa Chavez, all eight graders, were honored for their work.