What Makes Life Meaningful?

I know a lot of people, tons of people, see a lots of different sides of me in different occasions. So I see people thinking of me as smart, not very athletic, annoying, and sometimes heartless but they won’t get to know me and they’re creating a me they’re not gonna like. First, I have a bunch of haters and people that know me are not friends. Second, my family sees me as predictable, but they won’t see different until it’s too late. Teachers see the same thing but also don’t since I act differently at different times because that's just how I roll. If people get to know me then they would think of me differently but their idea of me is so off for the fact that they wouldn't know anything true. –Marshawn Williams

I think people imagine me as a mean and funny girl. I treat people the same way as family. I’m nice to them. Everybody says I’m outgoing but I’m actually shy. I just be loud because you can’t be nice to everybody in the real world. –Makaylin Bagby-Poplar

I would hope that other people think of me as a chill person with a good heart. I would hope that people think the same of me as I do of myself. And if they don’t then I don’t care, it’s their opinion on me and I have my own opinion of myself. –Jamiah Mitchell I think other people really really really like me and the way I act. I feel some people don’t get me or what I do and why I do it and I can only be myself in front of people that act the same as me because they just get me and are the same way. Friends see me for who I really am and get to see the funny side, goofy ways, and weird ways I have. Family is always serious and it really gets on my nerves because I play and do way too much to always get in trouble and can’t have fun. People think I’m this happy girl and have no feelings...just happy all the time and don’t care for nothing in the world when in my head it’s the other way around. –Sya Powell

I really don’t care about what people think of me, but if I had to guess it would be “she is so short”... I don’t know. Yes, because I have a better bond with my family than friends because I see my family every day and I’m just used to them, but friends on the other hand would be different because I’m still trying to get to know them and figure them out. I think teachers just see me as another student they teach. A lot of family members think I’m mean while others say I’m nice while I just think I’m me.

–Courtney Harris

How could our school be better?

February 2019

The food could be better. The students could be less disrespectful. The classes could be bigger. Passing time could be longer. Bathroom could be cleaner. Teachers could spend less time talking. The schedule could be better than it is now. The buildings could be neater. The computers could be better and books could be newer. Extracurricular activities could be better and funner. My family should feel that I could go back to Normandy next year and it’s not a bad school. –Lashanda Chatman The food should be fresh, actually look decent and cooked properly, and clean. Students should be fun, interactive, clean. Classes should be fun and exciting and have new knowledge to process. Passing time should have at least ten minutes or so to get to class. –Jerrell Phillips

I just think that the food needs to taste better with real products and more food choices. The students are OK. The classes should be warm, not cold and super hot. I think the passing time should be at least six minutes max. The teachers should be nicer, but when they need to get the students in order they can do what they need to do to get the class back in order. The schedule is fine as it is. Some of the buildings have too many rooms. They need more resources to help students out with their work. The sports are great already. The activities are great as is. My family likes me going to this school. –Shaun Williams

The food could be good and it should taste better. Students should mind their business so there wouldn’t be problems with other people. People need to stop following other people. People need to stop distracting my class so that I can do my work. I think we should do five minutes of passing time so we can do stuff we need to do without rushing. Girls in the bathroom need to respect it more because the stuff that is going on in the restroom is not ladylike in that we are almost grown. We are in high school so people need to do better. Teachers should help us; if the students don’t understand or are at a loss. The temperature needs to be on point so there won’t be any problems. I like the schedule. –Claudia Graham

I envision the school to be less fighting in bathrooms and for everybody to be friends unless they talking stuff. I would like for people to stop bumping into me because kids act like they can’t see, like, hello nice to meet you. There are too many steps, like I know yall want us to get exercise but calm down it’s never serious. Especially the teachers, like don’t yell at me you can just tell me to be quiet. What if I told them to shut up. Then the upper classmen be thinking they in charge of the freshmen, like they need to calm down. They act like they built the school from the ground up. Then they still got these android computers. The only iphone computers here that’s good is the iphone computers (dell computers). I feel mad right now about this school because it’s this one girl that keep messing with me. But if she says something to me or breath on me . . . Like calm down! Life is never that serious. Other than that I like this school. It’s just certain people that make this school bad and most of the kids that’s good are really good kids. They just act up. –Makaylin Bagby-Poplar

The food like needs to be a variety, at least of a bunch outside the school foods and much bigger portions sizes. Could like some of the students who want to work and succeed be there and the lazy should at least be moved? The classes are, well, OK, but we could at least have free Fridays. Passing times need to be longer, like four to five minutes at least. Some of the bathrooms are out of order and sometimes that’s a problem? Some of the teachers need to be a little relaxed and not so professional. Some classes need heat while places like the gym need air blasting. My classes are cool in my case but in others, who knows? Let’s have no old rusty unused lockers or at least use the ones we have. Add sports like archery, fencing, kickboxing, and maybe others.

–Marshawn Williams I think having an academic entrance test before 9th grade would be a bad idea because the person may have good grades but are bad with tests and they may feel embarrassed. They may feel stupid, and that will also be confusing because they have good grades the whole year and still don’t go to the next grade. I also believe parents would not agree with this test, either. I believe it’s a bad and unfair idea overall. That's what most people would say about this idea. –Jermaine Gross

The food definitely needs to be changed. Classes are fine but we should take out advisory for free period. Bathrooms need to be cleaned better with nice smells and looking really clean and neat. Students should give the school a better reputation. –La’Ron Wrice Sullivan

The restrooms need doors and to be fixed in general. Even if this is just my need for friends talking, I think a comic book club at the library would be cool. Food should be fresher and not cardboard for the people I know. Computers should be fixed if broken or damaged. –Zaid Tyson

Do you think it’s possible to feel safe and be safe if only the military or police had guns?

March 2019

It’s possible to feel safe without a gun for certain people. But today guns are the only protection. If someone comes into your home they will most likely have a gun. It seems to me that no one ever uses a bat, fist, or knife. Most people use a gun because it’s faster. Let’s say someone broke into your house with a gun. You get up and you reach for a bat. You are not going to have enough time to swing the bat because you will already be on the ground from being shot with the gun. I’m also not saying that it’s a good thing for everybody to walk around with a gun. Certain people feel more safe with one where they live. People give the wrong people the right to own a gun. Other people today still think they don’t need a gun but one day that will change. –Gerahlynnn Strong

This is a double-edge-sword question since if only the police have guns like they already do every time one pulls up (police) you have the thought of death in the case of a black man, but for white men they normally get off easy. But if everyone but police have guns than there’s gonna be a lot blood and death on the streets. However, who knows anything in a world of pain and death. –Marshawn Williams I’d feel safe in a world where guns are not available for people who are not in the military or police because then we don’t have to worry about people getting shot or nothing. Also, we don’t have to be worried about nothing. I mean, yes it going to be breaking in and things like that but you don’t have to have a gun to kill them. There are always sticks, bats and stuff. –Lashanda Chatman

Yes and no. I would feel safe but I also wouldn’t because the police will still have guns and most of the killing now is because of the police. The military needs guns, but only in war. Police shouldn’t keep their guns because they do most of the killing of black people. –Dor’Shee Miller

Yes, I feel it would be a little safer in these neighborhoods. I say that because a lot of people have no clue what they are doing with a gun. People like this are some of the main reason for these murders and random shootings. If it was my rule you would only have a gun if it’s approved by the state. I believe if more people really checked if their gun was approved there would be fewer murders in this world. There are no guns in my home, and me and my family are fine with that. People who own guns just to look cool are stupid in my book. You'd risk your life and others just to look cool? That’s stupid. –TreyShann McClain

The world would be a little bit safer because there would be less gun violence and no more big gang fights or any thing at all but there’s knives and different things people use probably everyday, even things you never use as weapons, heck even your own hands. It’d be safe for a while but there are ways that crazy people will harm people for no reason. –Jerrell Phillips

You can’t feel safe in this world because of guns. We got guns out here and people say it's for safety but it’s not. People think they hard because they got a gun and that's not cool. If they was hard they could use their fist and that’s that. Out here you got to look over your shoulder to make sure you safe. If we didn’t allow guns we might be able to save a lot of people. On the other hand, I also think having a gun is a good idea because everybody need to have a way to protect themselves. My way is my fist, like that’s how I’m going to protect myself. –Chris Mischeaux

I don’t think it’s possible to feel safe in the this world with guns. If we only use guns for safety, some people might still use them to murder people. But if we DON’T allow guns in this world then everyone will be safe. And if someone don’t like someone they will just have to fight them or get along with them. In my opinion, fighting is better than gun violence. Gun violence is the answer for some people in this world and that's not cool. People don't know how to fight with fists and not their guns. That's why gun violence is always the answer when they get into an argument with someone. THERE ARE OTHER WAYS BESIDES GUN VIOLENCE. –Taja Bailey I think it’s not possible to feel safe or be safe in the world where guns aren’t available to people who not in the military or police because people will do anything to feel safe which means say if someone gets into it with one another and one says they are going to kill them or try and their isn’t any guns they gone turn to a knife or even beat them to death because they can’t turn to a gun. I think regardless of what weapons people have it will never change how people try to harm you. If they want to harm you they will do the best they can no matter what weapon they have. –Lea Garner

No, because there’s still people that’s dangerous in the world and no one actually cares about the police except some people that actually need to be protected. There are still other dangerous weapons in the world. Plus, people are still going to get guns some way. Like, hijacking a train of guns, robbing police officers, patrol cars and etc. –Maurice Porter

No, because if you only allow guns for police and military someone will become corrupt. They would want more money and sell guns on the black market and then guns would be back in the world. –Terriona Thomas

I feel like with or without guns we still wouldn’t be safe. I think that because people would still break into people houses or try to rob people. They don’t always have to use a gun; they can have other weapons because now even with guns people still use other weapons. I know because I’ve seen it all before. I can say without guns everything would be much better and we’d have less murders and crimes, but the world would never be perfect and violence will never stop. –Mikala Ford

I think the world would be safe if there was not any guns in the world I feel because then the only way for anyone to get killed is if they are very weak. –Denzel Tucker

Yes, I think you could be safe because if you don’t have to worry about other people having guns you really don’t have anything to worry about. Even though there are other weapons, guns are the main ones that people are frightened of. People aren’t really scared of guns; they are just scared of the people who have the guns, whether that person would be the type of person to go around and shoot people just for fun or for beef. It is easily available because people should be able to manage themselves and not be tempted to use guns., You just have to have your mindset on not using them. For people to feel safe guns have to be put up in some safe location where nobody can get it and probably you have to be checked on every week or so, so they can see what you been using your guns for. Also, cops should have a gun and record-check people who have guns. –Nathaniel James I feel like I wouldn’t feel safe without a gun because if something bad was to happen I wouldn’t have protection to protect myself. I feel like nobody would be safe without no gun because anything can pop off anywhere at any time and everyone should be protected. If two people were playing something and somebody just pulled out a gun on you because they lost, and then get mad, you could have yours too so then you’d be protecting yourself. –Marshay Tyler

I think that it could be possible to be safe without guns because there will be less chance of people dying from gun violence, but also it’s a bad idea because when your house might get robbed or someone might threaten and have to protect themself they wouldn’t have a gun. –Za’Dhaiia Barnes

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Living Questions: A Public Conversation

April 24, 2019

Who? More than 50 participants gathered in the East Hall gym– students, parents, grandparents, teachers, administrators, friends, supporters, and community partners.

Why? Because raising, sharing, and responding to meaningful questions is the heart of learning in and out of school. Our goal was to create space and time for community members to relax and discuss some of the questions we raised this school year. We drafted a media release and program.

We invited local, state, and federal elected officials.

We prepared ourselves to facilitate discussions.

We bought materials and built a portal into the space.

We assigned roles and responsibilities.

We ordered parasols.

We bought drinks and snacks.

We prepared to talk and listen.

We designed and built a portal.

La’Ron Wrice-Sullivan and Kendell Davenport assemble the portal. A sketch of the layout for Living Questions conversations outdoors. The plan was to sit in circles of folding chairs on the former tennis courts of the high school campus. A week of rainy weather moved the experience inside, to the wrestling gym in East Hall.

In my group we had a lot of different conversations. The first half of the conversation was mainly questions from the booklet we had. Then we had a conversation about racism, police brutality, and more. It got very deep. When we were in the second part of the talking, we actually acted out a little of what we meant by police brutality. We explained and used different kinds of little acts to explain. But when our guest spoke we all listened and actually stopped to think about what she said. –Jamiah Mitchell

We asked who made God. We all had different opinions. Some people said they don’t believe in God because they don’t know if the stories about Him were true or not. I said I believe in Him and that I think He made himself.

–Taja Bailey