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VIEWER
Mounds View
http://mvviewer.org Friday, April 13, 2012
Volume 59
2011-2012
Issue 10
INSIDE
Mounds View’s new principal
Senior Sarah Stark’s story
by Sasha Safonov staff reporter
“People have gotten to know me better as person, so I guess they are not so biased anymore, but when I first got here that was not the case” -Wesley Wise, 11 photo by Youngjun Park
Mounds View’s Appearance Stereotypes
Racial Profiling
A national issue, but students say it doesn’t happen here by Nathaniel Nikoi staff reporter
Go see Midtown Global Market
A taste of 112 Eatery
ONLINE
Mounds View’s Philosophy Club
<editor@mvviewer.org>
African-American musicians, religious leaders, writers and politicians have called attention to the way black teens, especially males, are racially profiled, after the February shooting of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin. Congress has already held hearings on the issue of racial profiling. Law Professor Paul Butler, who is also African-American, wrote in the Daily Beast about how he was constantly harassed, stopped and even patted down by police and security guards as a young man. Is this the experience of nonwhite students in the Mounds View community? Wesley Wise, 11, moved into the Mounds View school district when he was in seventh grade. Wise used to attend Northview Middle School, a largely African American school. Like most new students, Wise found that adapting to a new school was hard. This feeling was all intensified because Wise was African American. “People have gotten to know me better as person, so I guess they are not so biased anymore, but when I first got here that was not the case,” said Wise. Most students interviewed since the Trayvon Martin case became public say that race plays little role in day-to-day student interactions at Mounds View. “People make jokes about [discrimination], but they never try to be mean,” said Lisa Luk, 10. There could be a more subtle level to this issue, though. Racist jokes may seem harmless, but some argue that it only perpetuates problems with race. According to The Rhetoric of Racist Humor, “racist jokes can reinforce serious meanings about race issues.” Racial profiling is often not a conscious action based on any rational fears; indeed, racial profiling is often based on a completely irrational fear of “others,” whether that be other ethnicities, other races, or any other group. So, though racist jokes may be the only explicit form of racial prejudice, it doesn’t rule
out the fact that racial profiling may exist. Assistant Principal Doug Bullinger agrees with this point. “I don’t think it is a problem in that it doesn’t cause any disruption in the day to day activities, but I think it will be naive to say that race doesn’t play a role in how students interact with each other,” Bullinger said. Mounds View High School, though, does seem to be accepting of people of different races. Of the students interviewed for this report, few said they felt people treated them differently because of their race. This is a noticeable improvement from Mounds View’s past. In 2003, a Mounds View student drew racially-suggestive graffiti in the school. Just a few years later, a series of Mounds View bomb scares, which some suggested were motivated by discrimination, occurred. While Mounds View High School may lack racial profiling, a number of interviewees did say that racial discrimination seems to be more prevalent in the community. African-American students have long felt they are separated from others in the community because of their race. “I would walk down the street and I see some people looking at me awkwardly, and if they have their kids around they would sometimes take their kids away,” said Wise. Troy Sawtell, 12, an African-American, agrees. “Yes, they are quick to judge and they tend to stay away,” said Sawtell. Mounds View’s racial problems are not nearly as obvious as before. Generally, race relations have improved both in our school and in the community. But racial profiling is far from being erased.
See this issue’s Spread for a closer look at all stereotypes
Following 16 years of service, Principal Julie Wikelius is stepping down at the end of the school year. Jeff Erickson, an Irondale graduate with 19 years of service in Minnetonka Public Schools, will be taking her place. Of those 19 years, 14 were spent teaching Spanish. At the moment, he is Assistant Principal of Minnetonka High School, and received the 2012 Minnesota Assistant Principal of the Year award. Erickson is an advocate of grading reform. According to his article, “How Grade Reform Changed Our School,” Erickson describes how processes such as curving and no retakes on tests discouraged students and resulted in grades that do not reflect a student’s performance. Erickson expressed interest both in Mounds View’s history and in leading it to a better future. “MVHS has an incredible reputation and I felt that I can contribute to that legacy and build on it,” said Erickson. Erickson’s current plans are to get to know the school. “Over the next weeks, I look forward to meetings with staff and students with two questions: What are the traditions of MVHS of which you are most proud and want to see continue, and what do you want to see happen in the next school year? I want to listen and learn and then lead.”