Running for homecoming royalty, p. 2
Fashion tips and inspiration, p. 9
What we’re listening to this fall, p. 11
Red and Black
Montgomery County Public Schools
Northwood High School
919 University Boulevard W.
Silver Spring, MD 20901
Fall 2021
‘Being in school feels kind of new’:
Northwood students react to the reopening of in-person instruction by Rebecca Tran, Lizzy Alspach, and Red and Black staff Transitioning from online to in-person school has stirred a lot of mixed emotions for students, from excitement to anxiety. While Northwood students spent the majority of their time on laptops learning from home last year, this year students and teachers are back in the building receiving instruction. “Being in the school feels kind of new for me,” said Cameron Ali (‘24). “I still get lost.” It’s not just the way students learn that has changed. In-person teaching requires changes from how things were done before the pandemic–for instance, navigating the new mask mandate. Online learning also had its limitations. Returning to in-person instructions could be exciting for some students (cont’d on page 3)
Editorial: fallout from a racist incident If MCPS is serious about antiracism, stronger action is necessary by Jeanne Gnahoua On October 1, Northwood’s football game against Sherwood started ordinarily at first. Northwood and Sherwood faced off on Northwood’s field to see who would bring home the win. The game began, and, though Northwood’s chances of winning seemed grim - the team had 17 players, five of whom were injured at the time, against Sherwood’s 60plus - Northwood was still looking forward to a fun, clean game.
Scenes from Northwood’s reopening: Northwood cheer, freshmen orientation, the homecoming game, and the homecoming dance. (Photos: Mike Lynch, Angelo McNeil, and Chariot staff.)
Yet, that was not what occurred. During the first half of the game, in a play where one of Northwood’s players made a run towards Sherwood’s sidelines, some Northwood players allege they heard the n-slur coming from the Sherwood sidelines. At the time, they decided to leave the matter be, hoping that its use was just a heat of the moment decision. But according to a Northwood player who wants to remain anonymous, the abuse continued. “Another time [I heard the n-slur] was right before half. . . someone just yelled it out to one of [Northwood’s] players.” Sherwood’s demographics differ from Northwood’s. According to US News and World Report, 49.3% of Sherwood’s student body is white, compared to Northwood’s 13.6%. Though this incident is shocking, this isn’t the first time an alleged incidence of racist namecalling
by Sherwood against Northwood athletes has occurred. The @/blackatnorthwood Instagram page, an account where black Northwood students submit anonymous reports often detailing racist abuse, has featured posts chronicling alleged verbal namecalling. “I’m a part of the volleyball team at Northwood,” one post submitted to the account reads. “I will never forget [hearing] the ‘n word’ with the hard R.” The student goes on to describe how they felt intimidated and belittled by opposing players and fans. “It’s just the small things that add up,” the student added. Another football player shared a separate incident. “I think in my JV season when I was playing football around freshman year, it also happened. [I heard it] during the game.” Yet, with all these incidents readily available, one would believe that some sort of penalty was enforced
- that a fitting punishment eventually found people making bigoted remarks, and the victims of the harassment got their just desserts. Right? That didn’t exactly happen. In fact, nothing did. The players we spoke to expressed that they didn’t want to share their experiences with administration in the first place. But, why is that? One football player said they felt administrators “can’t really do much.” Another player expressed that they feel administration does not care about the plights they face. In any event, students often do not tell administration about incidents involving racism, allowing them them to go virtually unseen. These events might be part of a broader trend in MCPS schools. Many students of color are reluctant to share their experiences with admin because they fear their voices won’t be heard in the first place. (continued on page 5)
