The 40 different nationalities represented at the Shellharbour-based school ensure multiculturalism is more than just a buzz word.

College principal Dr Mehmet Aslan said getting along and respecting the beliefs of others is of utmost importance at the non-denominational school.

That’s why students and staff alike took great pride in celebrating Harmony Day.

But the school’s 2017 Harmony Day celebrations on Thursday were ‘’quite different’’ from previous years.

Amity College Illawarra’s inaugural Year 7 class celebrated the day by inviting 20 students from Holy Spirit College to join in the celebrations.

‘’We believe that it is our duty towards society and humanity to raise students as socially and morally responsible individuals,’’ Dr Aslan said.

‘’Interacting with students from other schools with a range of cultural, social and religious backgrounds helps to breed mutual understanding and respect for the vibrancy of our multicultural Australian society.

‘’Amity means friendship, peaceful harmony and mutual understanding.

‘’We hope that our Holy Spirit College guests feel those things when they meet our students.”

Students enjoyed some Turkish dancing, shared meals together, discussed the meaning of Harmony Day and explored the varying backgrounds and languages of their peers.

‘’Our students also taught our visitors how to write their name in Arabic,’’ he said.