The Royal Banner, February 2020

vol. 60, no. 3 // february 2020

the social issue

CONTENTS BALANCING WORK AND SCHOOL

For some students, working can take priority over education

PAGE 4

WHAT IT’S LIKE

Eliana Valenzuela writes about what it’s like to be Latinx at Fairview

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TITLE IX CONCERNS

The lack of awareness about our rights is concerning

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NOT OUR CHOICE

How is our generation responsibile for the environmental errors of the past

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INJUSTICE TOWARDS FEMALE ATHLETES Women’s sports are affected by discrimination

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JUST LISTEN

Transgender students explain what it’s like at Fairview

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MIDDLE CLASS APPLICATIONS

The price of your home has a bigger impact on college than you think

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UNDERREPRESENTATION

Latinx students are underrepresented in advanced classrooms

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SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

Can you find the difference in these two photos?

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COVER DESIGNED BY MAX EATON

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social issues

The most prominent depictions of our identities seem to be “rich” and “white.” However, when you look beyond this depiction, there are so many stories to tell. This issue is about what it means to be excluded from the stereotypical culture of Fairview. From the inequalities faced by female athletes, to the challenge of being a transgender student, to the struggle of paying for college as a middle-class student, these are some of the untold narratives of the school.

We hope to highlight individual experiences that affect students’ lives. While we are far from displaying every corner of the school, this issue begins to do that.

RYOAYLABLABNAN NENRE. R CM OM F HFSHRSO C .O

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BALANCING ACT Working students face challenges and trials

SARA GEORGE // STUDENT NEWS SECTION EDITOR

A

t the sound of the final bell, senior Diego Chávez packs up his stuff and heads to his job at Taco Bell. He won't leave until around 10 pm. Chávez works an average of five days a week.

“Before I was working six days, and I wasn’t getting any of my school work done, so I had to cut down hours and see how I could work it out. I got first and second [period] off, so I started doing my homework [...] during first and second [period],” said Chávez.

For some students, the overwhelming feeling of balancing both work and school is all too familiar. Working can encompass hours of a student’s day, cutting time out of academics, extracurriculars and personal time.

However, with the daunting prospect of future expenses, such as college, transportation and rent, many students feel obligated to work in order to support their future.

"I have the ability to interact with [...] people from all walks of life."

“Initially [working] was out of necessity, like I needed money, I needed to start saving up some money for my college savings [...] and sort of develop that ability to be self-sufficient,” said senior Josh Jansen-Montoya, who works at Sweet Cow. “But now, I genuinely enjoy what I do. I enjoy the times when I get to go to work because I have the

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Senior Samira Ordaz works in class.

PHOTO BY HENRY LARSON

ability to interact with new and different people from other schools or from different walks of life.”

In 2014, the Brookings Institution found the employment rate among teenagers (16-19) to be 29 percent.

However, this report doesn’t take into account differing experiences that working students face, often influenced by factors such as job type and hours worked. The working community at the school encompasses many different experiences and commitments.

“I think [working has] been overall a pretty good experience. I think having a job while you’re at school helps a lot socially and helps a lot to integrate you more into the real world than just staying in, you know, Fairview’s bubble,” said senior Hunter Perkins, who works at Frasier Meadows Retirement Home.

Despite the benefits that holding a job may provide, it challenges students to balance their involvement in academics and extracurriculars with their job.

While studies on the correlation between academic performance and working

hours have not provided any concrete information, many experts believe that students who work 20 or more hours per week may have hindered academic performance.

"I wouldn’t actually get home 'til about 10:30."

“In the Fall I would have soccer every single day from 4 to about 5:30, so there would be days when I would have to get to Louisville for a 6:00 shift. So I’d have to leave soccer maybe 15 minutes early, go home, shower, and then be right off to Louisville,” said Jansen-Montoya.

“And then I wouldn’t actually get home 'til about 10:30 or so, and that’s when I’d actually be able to start my homework.”

For some students, their job has

STUDENT NEWS threatened or stopped them from continuing with extracurriculars. Chávez was unable to participate in football this year, due to the time commitment it required, including its summer practice schedule. Senior Samira Ordaz has also struggled with balancing work and extracurricular activities.

"I was thinking of quitting cheer, just so I could work more."

“I was thinking about quitting cheer, just so I could work more, but I didn’t. It’s kind of hard, especially [in addition to] going to school,” said Ordaz.

It can be especially difficult to balance additional obligations when work is a dynamic and necessary aspect of so many

lives.

"It's difficult for me to prioritize homework over work, when I know I need the money for certain things," said Perkins.

Working students face the challenge of balancing their time effectively, while still striving to perform well in school and within extracurriculars. While this may pose as a challenge, the work environment can also be viewed as an important step in learning valuable skills and becoming self-reliant. “[Working has] given me the perspective that you can learn from literally anyone. You can learn any sort of trade from any kind of person because everyone’s got their own perspective and their own different ideas that they’ve developed through going about their own life and not everyone’s life path is the same so because of that,” said Jansen-Montoya. “You can learn so many different things about really weird and obscure situations that you may never mind yourself in, [but] you may find yourself in.”

Working Overtime A few decades ago, the student employment rate was much higher than its current rate. Most working students planned to contribute the money they earned towards a college education.

However, with exponentially rising college expenses, working a minimum-wage job (which paid $11.10 an hour in 2019, according to Colorado.gov) only pays for a fraction of the cost of college tuition.

The declining student employment rate may deprive students of valuable working experience, which can help students develop helpful habits they will continue to use throughout their lives.

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WHAT IT’S LIKE ELIANA VALENZUELA // GUEST WRITER

B

eing yourself is never enough. That’s what it’s like.

Walking into a building every day feeling like you have to prove you belong. Being yourself is not enough. Being your brown self is never enough.

In the “About Fairview” tab on the school’s website, you’ll find this: “Fairview fosters a sense of community, supports diversity, and encourages all students to find their place and thrive.” There’s just one problem, Fairview doesn’t live up to that standard at all. You don’t come to Fairview for a diverse student body. You come to Fairview for AP and IB classes, the best sports, clubs, or simply because it’s a “better school.” The walls of Fairview are not what parents think, what teachers think, and definitely not what my white peers think.

STORY CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

PHOTO BY IO HARTMAN

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“WHAT IT’S LIKE” CONTINUED You go to the Boulder v. Fairview football game, a game you’ve looked forward to attending since the first time you heard about it. The student section packed, people wearing red and getting ready to watch some football and cheer their hearts out. Then you hear people start to shout “I’m rich, I’m white, I must be a knight” over and over again. But all you could hear in your head is I’m rich. I’m white. I must be a knight, and then you think to yourself I’m not rich, I’m not white, so I must not be a knight? If that’s what it means to be a knight, you don’t want to be a knight. You couldn’t be a knight.

“I’m not rich, I’m not white, so I must not be a knight?”

Lucky for you, it was a presidential election year. November 2016 gave you a reality check that you didn’t expect. You’ll never forget that day. There was an odd feeling in the air, and you knew the day was going to be everything but normal.

Everyone felt some type of emotion while being at school. Some people were happy, some people were in shock, some were sad, some were angry. Walking down that ramp you saw a group of white girls crying at a staircase, senior boys running up the ramps wearing MAGA hats and shirts and draped in an American flag cape. Every type of person Trump had attacked during his

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campaign felt out of place.

As the day went on, you heard about several confrontations in classes and in the hallways. A friend of yours tells you that someone had gone up to her and her friend and said, “I can’t wait to send you and your family back to Mexico.” The first thought that comes to your mind is: why would someone say that? Is someone going to say that to me?

There was a new fear instilled in your brain. People thought you were going to get deported, even though you were born in America. The way people acted and thought had changed. That election made people think it’s okay to say whatever to whomever.

Being the only brown person in a classroom is frightening because you feel vulnerable and scared to speak. It doesn’t matter if you’re in a college prep class or an AP class. In particular, being in an AP class and being the only brown person is the worst. The class is already meant to be a challenge but being one of the only brown people creates more of a challenge. This is your first time taking an AP class because you thought you were supposed to take only college prep. Only white people take AP classes.At least that’s what you thought. You sit there shaking your legs because this is all new to you. You then get called a charity case because of your relationship to your teacher, suggesting that’s the only reason you’ll pass the class. You already know people think you shouldn’t be in there. You ask yourself why you’re really in there. You have to find your purpose. Once you find that purpose, that is the only thing that keeps you going, the one thing that makes you go in the classroom everyday. You belong in

there as much as the person next to you. In and out, that’s all it really is.

If the content gets hard, you still have to figure it out because you can’t afford a tutor.

You feel bad asking your teacher for help because you don’t see anyone else asking.

You ask your friends to borrow their books because you can’t afford to buy your own quite yet.

“You hope you don’t have to talk about anything personal because they wouldn’t understand.”

You don’t have time to do homework or read because you have to work to help out your family.

You have to work ten times harder than your classmates because you try to figure things out yourself and by the time you understand something it’s too late.

You take a test and feel unprepared, but that’s normal. You get it back and you

“NEVER EN FEBRUARY 2020

OPINION get a 76%. You basically failed. You feel embarrassed. You work your ass off and understand the content, you get a 90% on the next test. You did better than your classmates and you feel bad because they should do better.

Even though you succeeded, people never ask you for help because they assume you don’t know. You hope that the class doesn’t talk about immigration because everyone’s eyes will be on you. You hope you don’t have to talk about anything personal because they wouldn’t understand. You know that you will never learn about your ancestors in class; you’ll just learn white history. For your next assignment you have to ask your parents to read over your essay. There’s just one problem, your parents don’t understand English. You tell your teacher you forgot to do the assignment instead of being honest.

You finally start to speak in class and its because your teacher has made you feel safe. Everytime you say something, the only person you look at is your teacher because she makes you feel like everything will be okay.

You overhear conversations between your classmates about all the parties they went to and how much fun they had during the weekend. You then begin to imagine what that would feel like. For you, your weekends consist of working because you help your family pay bills. It’s crazy to think that people can have that much fun and still do good in school. Then you remember you aren’t like them and you can’t be. They can afford to make mistakes, you can’t. You have to put your education and your future ahead of anything else.

Everyone around you is taking classes

and has tutors for the SAT. You do some research and realize that a class costs +$600. You can’t afford that. You don’t even mention it to your family. Instead you go back to the free Khan Academy SAT prep you found. Your family sees you stressed out about school and they ask what they can do to help. You have a list of things you know will help you but you don’t say anything because you don’t want to make your family feel bad. You, instead, tell them that their support is all you need. You see their faces get sad about not being able to help but you really are telling the truth about how all you need is their support.

“What really matters is the people who truly see you for you and push you to break barriers.”

Teachers can make or break a class.

Everyone knows that. You walk into your first day of chemistry. You’re scared because you heard the class was hard. The teacher

goes through attendance and says your name wrong. You say it’s okay because it’s the first day of school. Your math teacher also can’t say your name. As you learn new content for the class, you struggle a bit and, instead of offering to help, your science teacher tells you to drop the class. You don’t.

It’s November and your teacher still can’t say your name right. You stopped correcting them because they’ll never learn it anyways.

They don’t even apologize. Second semester starts and after a rough first semester, you are ready for a fresh start. Your science teacher tells you to drop the class. You don’t.

It’s March and your teacher still can’t say your name right. You don’t even try to correct them.

It’s May and he never learned how to say your name. You’re just glad your math teacher got it right in February. They didn’t even apologize.

You don’t matter enough to be called by the right name or for your name to be said right. You feel belittled by the adults in the school.

What really matters is the people who truly see you for you and push you to break barriers. It’s the small things that are actually pretty big that matter. You’re glad your teachers pushed you to take those AP classes. You thank them for believing in you.

You finally see a teacher who looks like you doing great things. You’re in a class full of people who share the same experiences as you. Your counselor makes college and your future seem possible. You can walk into any class feeling like you belong. You aren’t afraid to speak up in class anymore. But you have to remember that there is always room for growth.

ENOUGH” FHSROYALBANNER.COM

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Y

ou probably don’t know about an incredibly important set of rights that you hold. They protect you from discrimination, harassment, and assault, yet virtually no students understand them. The role of Fairview administrators in this is instrumental: they have the power to change this, and they, by law, are obligated to.

The law is Title IX. Passed into law in 1972, it affects federally funded activities, programs, and schools.

Title IX states that “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”

Title IX also requires schools to have a Title IX coordinator: a person who must ensure that all students are in an environment where they do not feel discriminated against or harassed because of their sex or gender. Their job includes investigating and resolving grievances that students have regarding Title IX. Still, many students have not been informed of these rights. In a survey conducted by the Royal Banner, zero out of one hundred students knew who the Title IX coordinator was.

“The main issue with Title IX is, everybody needs to know what’s going on. [Students] should be able to say, ‘no this isn’t right,’” said social studies teacher Susan Stensrud.

“[Students] should be able to say, ‘No, this isn't right.’”

Ms. Stensrud expressed that students aren’t aware of their rights under Title IX, a shortcoming that Principal Don Stensrud

that the school does not discriminate or tolerate discrimination or harassment against students because of their “disability, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, religion, ancestry, need for special education services, or physical characteristics.”

While we do have a notice of discrimination in our school’s code of conduct, found on the school’s website, the notice fails to include the name of the school’s Title IX coordinator, as required by law. This information is also excluded from the district’s notice.

In fact, our website contains no information whatsoever about Title IX, and the BVSD website has limited information about Title IX coordinators for the district.

“I don’t think there was ever

DO YOU KNOW

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also pointed out.

“I think we can do a better job, at telling students their [Title IX] rights more explicitly,” said Principal Stensrud.

Title IX requires schools to send out a “notice of nondiscrimination,” declaring

information online [about Title IX] regarding the school, but the Title IX coordinator used to be on the BVSD website until they updated it. Now, I can’t find it anymore,” said Principal Stensrud.

The lapses of both the school and the district have impacts that extend past the websites. When students report something to their counselor, both Principal Stensrud and Sarah Digiacomo, one of the school’s assistant principals and the officially designated Title IX coordinator,

STUDENT NEWS said that most students reach the Title IX coordinator through a counselor or another administrator.

“[Students] don’t need to be harassed, or endure it.”

Principal Stensrud said that while counselors do work with the Title IX coordinator, student complaints can be— and often are—resolved before reaching Digiacomo, even when the complaint falls under Title IX. Digiacomo said that in most cases, students are not even made

Digiacomo and Principal Stensrud’s statements suggest that it is counselors, and not students, who deem complaints as Title IX violations. A student should have input in the way their complaints are viewed; whether it is deemed a Title IX issue should be the student’s choice.

In the same Royal Banner survey, only 16% of students knew what Title IX was.

This statistic suggests that the school violates federal policy that requires schools to spread communication to students regarding their rights.

“Title IX is important so that people feel like they have protection under the law, and that they don’t need to be harassed, or endure it,” said Principal Stensrud.

Administrators and teachers agree with this message and agree that it is not being conveyed to students clearly. Yet, it is

make sure they’re getting [information],” said Digiacomo.

“[Title IX] is not just a school issue right now, it’s a societal issue.”

Both the school and the district as a whole struggle with getting out information about Title IX. Nevertheless, Title IX is about more than just one school. “[Title IX] is not just a school issue right now, it’s a societal issue.

[Discrimination and harassment] are bigger than Fairview,” said Principal Stensrud. “They permeate our culture.”

W ABOUT THIS? aware of Title IX. “A Title IX investigation is only needed when we cannot just quickly remedy a situation, when we need to look more closely at what’s going on,” said Principal Stensrud.

The current way in which students’ complaints are handled begs an important question: do students know that they have Title IX rights, and are they notified when their complaints suggest that their rights are being violated?

difficult to know what to do.

“It’s hard to find a venue to get kids that information because we only have freshman seminar, and then that’s it. [...]

We need to have more access to kids throughout their high school education to

MAIA PENUEL // AUDIO EDITOR

Title IX addresses all schools, banning sex and gender-based discrimination like this.

PHOTO BY SAM SALIBA FHSROYALBANNER.COM

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NOT OUR CHOICE

The way palm oil contributes to climate change LAUREN HIRSCHHORN // ASSOCIATE OPINION & POLITICS EDITOR

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n 1994, major food industries changed the oil used in their products from margarine to palm oil. Palm oil is significantly healthier to consume than other fats, like margarine or lard, and it’s very cheap to produce. Seems great, right? But what scientists neglected in bringing palm oil into the industry is its detrimental effects on the environment.

“Sure, they destroyed our earth but it came with certain good things,” said Rose Jou, a Junior and Co-President of Net Zero.

People first started using palm oil over 5,000 years ago, but only recently did its major boom begin.

Take a look at the products around you.

70% of personal care items contain at least one palm oil derivative according to The Guardian. 50% of packaged food has palm oil in it according to Green Global Travel. Palm oil hides in Nutella, ketchup, toothpaste, and even Vaseline. It hides in the places least expected.

Above: a graphic illustrating the widespread use of palm oil in our society.

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50% of packaged food has palm oil in it.

Above: Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, one place palm oil hides in.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THEIMPULSIVEBUY ON FLICKR

At this point, the food industry will only move away from palm oil while kicking and screaming.

Workers cultivate palm oil in islands such as Malaysia and Indonesia, some of the most luscious and biodiverse areas in the world. Yet the cultivation of palm oil

The cultivation of palm oil decimates the habitat that makes home to much wildlife.

much wildlife.

The deforestation of these rainforests to plant oil palm trees has destroyed over 90% of the forest that orangutans graze on.

The deforestation of these rainforests to plant oil palm trees has destroyed over 90% of the forest that orangutans graze on.

Furthermore, deforestation through burning of the rainforest burns alive thousands of orangutans every year.

How is it fair that our generation is the one who has to deal with cleaning up the environmental mess that previous generations created? They weren’t going to face significant repercussions in their lifetime anyways. We were not alive at the time of mindless environmental exploitation, yet we are the ones to do all that we can to stitch up the gashes they cut on our planet.

When Googled, “injustice” means violation or right or the rights of another.

What embodies this more than Millennials and Gen Zers burdened by repairing the decimates the habitat that makes home to damage done to the environment?

OPINION

An illegal deforested palm oil plantation.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTION

“The fact that people 50 years ago made decisions that affect people nowadays without thinking of the consequences is unjust,” said Bella Weksler, a Junior and Co-president of Net Zero.

This is not about pointing fingers at who’s to blame. This is bringing attention to a situation that we as a global community need to solve.

We need better laws, regulations, and vigorous enforcement to help reduce harm to the environment. We also can take steps at a more personal level.

“Try to avoid food that has palm oil in it,” said Weksler. “A lot of times companies try to hide the word palm oil in the label to

“A lot of times companies try to hide the word palm oil in the label to make it a little more sneaky.” make it a little more sneaky.”

One group of students that is working to raise awareness is Net Zero club.

“Our primary focus of the club is spreading awareness through education, and

we run several campaigns to reduce waste,”

It was not our choice, but we sure can do what we can.

said Jou. Take your own steps to help reduce environmental harm. After all, it was not our choice, but we sure can do what we can.

People often agree that driving cars and flying is bad for the environment. But we must look at the alternative. There is public transportation, walking, and biking, but they’re not always as convenient or efficient.

You could also just stay at home. But if you want to travel anywhere far, you can’t.

If we’re switching from palm oil, what are the environmental impacts of the alternatives? Maybe we can invest and improve technology to grow oil palm trees in an environmentally friendlier way, like greenhouses, one day. We can try to buy less with palm oil in it, but it’s difficult because boycotts may lead to the industry finding a new, even more environmentally detrimental oil. We can buy products with sustainable palm oil if that is possible. But ultimately, we can simply try to consume less.

TERI CARLSON, MD 4410 Arapahoe Ave. #140 Boulder, CO 80303 303-395-4727

Go KNIGHTS!!!!!!

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UNFAIR OPPORTUNITY

The systems of injustice towards female atheletes CAM HUNT // SPORTS SECTION EDITOR NINI KAUR // PROFILE EDITOR

W

hen freshman Emma Mustelier started playing football two years ago, she thought it would be the same as any other sport. However, Mustelier faced a very different struggle than the rest of the players.

“During the summer the guys always use the girl’s locker room to have meetings, and every time I’d go in they would tell me to wait outside. Then I would be late to practice because I would have to wait for the guys to leave,” said Mustelier.

Some faculty and students don’t understand the unfair treatment and unequal chances that female athletes and their coaches face every day. Injustice toward female athletes in the school is not because of intentional discrimination but rather the system unintentionally supplying unbalanced oppurtunites.

Often overlooked is the sports seasons.

“The system unintentionally [supplies] unbalanced opportunities.”

“I think it would be nice if they switched [tennis seasons] every other year because the girl’s season is brutally freezing cold,” said women’s tennis coach Susan Stenstrud.

The men play during the fall, while the women play during the spring. Last season, there were at least four women’s practices cancelled due to weather.

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“It’s brutal,” said Stenstrud. “Also, it discriminates against the girls because we used to have double practice so we can accommodate all of our players. But now, because the girls are in the spring and the light is so short, we have to cut the number of girls who can play. There is not enough time to have a double practice.

That wouldn’t be a problem during the boys’ season.”

This disparity between men’s and women’s tennis carries on through other sports.

“The spring season is also during a tough time in the school year when we have AP testing, IB testing and projects, ACT and SAT testing, prom, and are getting close to finals. In fact, finals week and the state golf tournament for girls is typically the same week,” said men’s and women’s golf coach John Zerwin.

The women play during the spring season for golf as well. It is evident that the coaches understand the inequality between the respective seasons. However, no change is in progress.

“I asked Tom Robinson, one of the CHSAA Commissioners about this once,” said Zerwin, “and he told me it has to do with the other sports and when the sport was introduced as a CHSAA sport. For example, baseball and softball have to be in opposite seasons because they can share facilities. Girls’ golf came into existence after boys’ golf, so it had to go in the opposite season. What Commissioner Robinson told me is that once a sport is slotted in a season, it is very tough to move it, as it would affect many other sports.”

However, this issue is avoidable by alternating seasons.

There is another problem the different seasons create.

Women’s golf lasts about 9 weeks, while men’s only lasts 7 weeks from the start of practice to regionals. However,

each coach is paid the same for the season.

Women’s golf lasts about 9 weeks, while men’s only lasts 7 weeks from the start of practice to regionals. “[Coaches] are paid the same, yet the length of the seasons are different. The fact is, girls coaches are paid less. [...] So automatically there is a discrepancy in paying,” said Stenstrud.

Even though the coaches may be initially paid the same, women’s team coaches are paid less since they have to stretch the same budget over a significantly longer season. The pay difference affects the athletes directly.

“The pay is so low that I can’t get anyone to take on full time assistant coaching positions,” said Stenstrud. “All of my assistant coaches are friends that work in the building or work just outside the building that care about the girls.”

With a team of over one hundred players over a long season, women’s

“The pay is so low I can’t get anyone to take on full time... positions.” tennis, like other women’s sports, is understaffed and underfunded.

“What I think would be great is if they would just pay coaches for the weeks they coach like the teachers are paid for how many days they teach,” said Stenstrud.

Although the district or CHSAA are the primary people for female athletes

SPORTS

to voice their concerns to, there is discrimination female athletes face from the students, too.

According to a Royal Banner staff member, only fifteen students attended the women’s Fairview-Monarch basketball game on January 24.

“I feel like any boys’ team usually receives more attention,” said Mustelier.

“I really don’t know [why that is]. It might just be because people feel it’s more interesting to watch.”

It is evident from the disparity between game attendance of men’s and women’s sports that other students share this view.

However, female athletes often match or even outshine men’s sports. Izzy Munson, a varsity women’s basketball player, recently broke a 1,000 point career scoring record. The record achievement is an excellent example of why women’s sports are worth watching.

Changing the community’s perceptions of men’s sports being better or more interesting is a step toward getting rid of the injustice that female athletes face.

Title IX was implemented in 1972.

It prevents gender discrimination academically and athletically. Though implemented back in 1972, there are still many steps to take to truly end gender inequality.

Musilier does not believe she can have a future in football despite being a dedicated football player. The difference in mentality between men’s and women’s sports affects many athletes, and will continue to affect more unless something changes.

Muslilier said, “unfortunately, I know there’s really not much possibility for anything to come from [playing football].”

Above: Women’s softball team before a game.

PHOTO BY IO HARTMAN

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JUST LISTEN

BRIANA HERSCH // STAFF REPORTER TESSA MOSKOFF // COPY EDITOR

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y first year [at Fairview] was, I think, one of the worst,” said senior Luce Gibbs. “I was harassed; I was asked what was in my pants; I was called a tranny; I was called a fag; I was accused of hitting on someone; people made speculations, again, about what kind of genetalia I had.”

Gibbs is non-binary, which means they do not identify as either male or female.

“Even if you didn’t want to make a big deal about it — you know, about being trans, which most of us don’t, cause it’s not our entire personality — every time we have a sub, every time I start a new class, I get deadnamed,” said Gibbs.

Deadnaming is when someone calls a transgender person by their birth name instead of their chosen name. It can be detrimental in that it can both make someone feel invalidated or, in some cases, it can out them as trans. In the case of subs, deadnaming happens because of the issues surrounding changing a name in the BVSD system, a possibility of which

trans students are oftentimes unaware.

A commonly-held misconception is that students have to legally change their name before changing it within BVSD. However, Colorado’s Preferred Name Laws enable students to change their name in the system even if it hasn’t been legally

“Everyone has the right to be respected.” changed. BVSD’s name change request form can be found on its website, titled as the AC-E6 policy.

“They [admin] don’t tell you that,” said another transgender senior, Theo Wells.

“They don’t tell you anything.”

Deadnaming goes beyond BVSD policy and extends to confrontations with other students.

“People who will debate our identities,” said Gibbs. “People who will ask, ‘well what’s your real name?’ Well, you have my real name; it’s Luce, it’s not what’s on my birth certificate.”

Using a transgender person’s chosen name and preferred pronouns is extremly important.

“I understand it might take a little bit of getting used to,” Gibbs said. “But everyone has the right to feel respected.”

It is important to note that accidentally using the wrong pronouns or name for someone is completely different from maliciously doing so.

“Just correct yourself and move on,” said Wells. “It’s fine. It can be hard to transition with that stuff.”

Gibbs and Wells also discussed rooming during school trips.

“The nice thing with some school trips, if they stay domestic, you can usually

FROM THE COUNSELING CENTER

T

alking to Fairview’s counselors can be useful if you are transitioning.

“That’s a confidential conversation,” said school counselor Ashley Houston. “It doesn’t have to go anywhere.”

Counselors can help facilitate communication between you and your parents, aid you in working with your teachers and formally change your name in Infinite Campus. Additionally, the counselors can help figure out things such as bathrooms.

The Intervention Specialist, Karen Van Zuiden, is another available resource.

“She would maintain confidentiality, and yet she can also be able to give that support, and possibly even give that directive to certain people around what’s needed,” said Assistant Principal Rose Lupinacci.

There are also available resources within the community.

“We want to be helpful.”

One of these is the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA), which meets in room 333 during Thursday block lunch.

One resource outside of Fairview is OASOS. OASOS is an organization which provides peer youth groups, leadership opportunities, advocacy, support and referrals for LGBTQIA+ youth ages 13 to 18.

You’re not alone, and there is a network of support here for you.

“We want to be helpful,” said Houston, “and we have the resources to do that.”

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FEBRUARY 2020

STUDENT NEWS

room with your preferred people. I have a Knowledge Bowl competition, and I get to room with the guys on that one,” said Wells. “And then also they don’t tell you, BVSD has policies where you can room with other LGBT people [...] It doesn’t matter what gender they identify as, on [domestic] trips.”

One area where students have noted improvement is in the locker rooms.

“The locker room situation has gotten a lot better,” Wells said. “Last year, when we were juniors, one problem I had was that staff would use it and they told me I couldn’t use it, even though I was told by other staff that that was the locker room I was supposed to use.”

“It’s not for attention and it’s not easy.”

Gibbs and Wells stressed the importance of communication between administration, staff and transgender students.

“I think of the issues that we actually want addressed, those aren’t the ones that they’ve prioritized,” Gibbs said.

The importance of communication extends not only to admin, but to other students as well.

“I think the most important thing as an ally that you can do is just listen to us, and don’t make decisions of what is and isn’t transphobic for us,” said Wells.

Communication is essential as we continue to work towards creating an environment which is safe for students, no matter their identity. Being transgender is not a choice, and the hurdles trans students face are very real.

“It’s not for attention and it’s not easy,” said Gibbs. “I wouldn’t have chosen this.”

FROM ADMINISTRATION

T

he school has taken notable action to make Fairview a safer enviorment for transgender students.

“A kid’s a kid,” said Principal Don Stenstrud. “And I want to make sure every kid’s taken care of.”

One step in that process was educating staff about transgender students and how to make sure that their classrooms are a welcoming enviorment. This includes making content that isn’t gender specific and ensuring teachers don’t deadname students.

“A kid’s a kid.”

“We’ve worked real hard with our staff over the years to make sure that all our kids [..] are accepted,” said Stenstrud.

The school has also worked on access to gender neutral bathrooms.

“In terms of the bathrooms right now, it’s not a perfect system,” said Assistant Principal Rose Lupinacci. “But [...] if it’s a student that’s saying, ‘I do want to have more, or my own, privacy,’ then they can access me and I can assist them with that. Or if they don’t want to access me, they can access their counselor, and we will assist them with that.”

Lupinacci stressed the importance of direct communication between trans students and counselors or administration.

“We can definitely get some stuff going, and we can provide some support, and we can even help the family,” said Lupinacci.

Both Stenstrud and Lupinacci acknowledged the difficulties trans students continue to face.

“I don’t think the acceptance is there, where it needs to be, yet. I think it’s better than it was probably ten years ago, but I still don’t think it’s as accepted as it needs to be,” said Stenstrud. “That’s why we need to keep doing the work.”

The Fairview community as a whole needs to be more accepting of students, regardless of their gender identity.

“No one wakes up one day and says, ‘I want to be transgender,’” said Stenstrud. “I mean, it’s just who you are. It’s not a choice. It is just who you are, and [we] need to be respectful of that.”

“That’s why we need to keep doing the work.”

Administration is working with that in mind.

“We want to be able to give [students] an environment where they can feel comfortable being who they are,” said Lupinacci. “That’s what we’re here to do.”

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TUITION DOESN'T ON TREES

LINDSAY COX // OPINION AND POLITICS SECTION EDITOR CHARLIE WENIG // MANAGING EDITOR

I

t is expensive to live in Boulder, but students are not always informed about where that money goes or the external consequences of those high housing costs, such as their effects in paying for college.

Compared to the rest of the country, Colorado has some of the lowest educational funding in the nation, falling just behind Alabama, shows Governing.com. According to The Denver Channel, 60% of school districts in Colorado have transitioned to a four day school week to cut back on costs.

This is largely due to the lack of tax money and funding to public education in the state.

"Lowest educational funding in the nation."

Despite Colorado being so underfunded, Boulder Valley School District has managed to maintain a five day week and a well-funded system. Yet, the high-quality education students in Boulder receive comes at a price. Whether that price is worth it or not is in the eye of the beholder.

“While property taxes are super high, also the education that Boulder County gets is really good, because that’s where the money goes,” said senior Josh Diaz.

According to Data USA, the median income in Boulder is $64,183, which is far above the poverty income from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services for a four person family of $26,200. Despite a high median income, students still face money as a consistent education and

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FEBRUARY 2020

college barrier.

Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, is a program many college applicants are familiar with. For those who aren’t, it is a free application used to determine the financial aid the government awards to students to help pay for college.

Colleges and universities use FAFSA to determine how much financial assistance they will offer to an admitted student.

“No, [FAFSA didn’t ask enough questions]. Surprisingly, I think that sort of helped in a way because FAFSA only took into account my mom. My mom is a single mom and you only have to fill out your legal guardian [rather than both parents].

In that way it helped. My parents are divorced. My dad is much more wealthy, but he doesn’t support me financially at all,” said senior Beatriz Sanchez.

A school’s tuition cost is on the forefront of most applicants’ minds, and while it is far from ideal, many students are unable to attend a school they want if the tuition is higher than they can afford.

“It’s one of the first things [I think about], if I can’t afford it I can’t go,” said Diaz.

"If I can’t afford it I can’t go."

However, because of FAFSA, colleges and universities are only given a small glance into a students’ financial circumstances. While FAFSA does present income and tax information, specific financial restrictions, such as caring for an elderly grandparent, are left out of the FAFSA profile.

“[Just because] they have the possibility to [evaluate the property side of income] doesn’t mean they will be doing that [and giving enough money],” said senior Charlie Springer.

Sanchez saw the direct effects of selective schools when it comes to financial aid and college tuition assistance despite ap-

OPINION

GROW consideration the FAFSA expected family contribution, which was very low,” said Sanchez. “So with that we kind of expected a $10,000 margin of error not a $35,000 margin of error.”

FAFSA helps students predict the amount of money they will be expected to pay for college, but sometimes the predictions fall short.

my entire life, like my mom came to the US to give me the best possibilities, like she busts her butt to live in Boulder, like we can’t afford Boulder at all [...] everything that my life has been leading up to is that I could escape the cycle of poverty.

Everyone would say ‘do well in school.’ It just feels so wrong that I did everything the world told me to do [...] apply for scholarships — even their highest merit or their highest need based scholarship just doesn’t even cover [it]. I did all of that, where [are they] holding up their end of the bargain?” said Sanchez.

Sanchez still find it difficult to continue their education beyond high school in a financially competitive world with consistently increasing college tuition.

In one of the most educated areas in the country where the pressure to attend college is higher than ever, students are still held back from a top tier education due to financial restrictions.

“NYU shut down my ability to go to "Where [are their school." they] holding “NYU shut down my ability to go to their school [...] It’s unrealistic to expect up their end someone who doesn’t have the money and [is going] into a field where they can't pay of the barit back,” said Sanchez.

While living in Boulder provides an gain?” above average education, students like

plying early decision and getting in at her top choice school. “[I] applied ED to NYU knowing it was legally binding [...] because we don’t have nearly enough funds to pay for NYU [even though] we filled out their estimator on their website, we talked to their financial aid office, and we also took into

"My mom came to the US to give me the best possibilities."

“I feel just really disappointed because FHSROYALBANNER.COM

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ABSENT

Unnoticed Underrespresentation

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FEBRUARY 2020

F

reshman year, I got put in a group with a bunch of white people, they wouldn’t say a word to me… I felt disrespect[ed],” said a student in the Adelante class, an academic support class for Latinx high schoolers.

Latinx students are underrepresented in advanced classes throughout the school for many reasons, one of them being the school’s culture. It is not hard to see that this group of the student body is a minority.

Students who identify as Latinx make up 10% of the 2,140 students in the school. 6.3 percent of Fairview's Latinx students are taking IB classes, and 4.1 percent are in AP classes according to the Civil Rights Data Collection. This does not include AP/IB Spanish which is the most common advanced class Latinx students take.

“You walk into class and you’re the only Mexican. You feel uncomfortable,” said senior Jackie Macareno.

“You walk into class and you’re the only Mexican.

You feel uncomfortable.”

The school takes pride in the high achieving students and scholarly culture.

Education can be a major pathway to opportunity, and many students take IB and AP courses, which help students develop college-level academic skills.

Honors classes attract students enrolling in high school due to the challenges the curriculum presents. Despite the efforts to provide high-quality education for all students, there is an underrepresentation of Latinx students in advanced classes.

The challenge is usually not in the coursework itself, but the class conditions.

For some students, they are the only Latinx student in their advanced class,

STUDENT NEWS which causes them to feel cut off from the rest of the class.

“There aren’t a lot of Latinos in Pre-IB or advanced classes so it’s kind of scary,” said Camila Rivero, a senior who has taken many advanced courses.

David Stewart, head of the English Language Development program, said that some Latinx students are not reading enough over the summer when they are young. Because many students were not furthering their language ability over the summer, outside of school, those students are at a disadvantage.

Darrel Billington, who wrote a doctoral dissertation in 2016 on the subject of why Latinx students don’t take many advanced classes, presents another possible cause.

“Latino parents may not have been aware that IB and AP classes existed for their kids, and the parent is the number one influencer of whether a kid would take that class or not,” said Billington.

Stewart supports this point and furthers it towards the issue of parental education.

Stewart explains that students’ parents who have been to college know the advantages of advanced classes more often.

“But a lot of the Latino parents don’t know [the advantages],” said Stewart.

According to Billington, teachers also bear some responsibility for the shortage of Latinx students in advanced classes.

He said that in the past some teachers have not encouraged students to advance in class level. Hearing a recommendation from a teacher has a major influence on a students’ choice. A recommendation can provide important encouragement.

Yet parents and teachers are not the only causes of this discrepancy. For some students, money and family struggles also prevent them from considering advanced classes.

“I don’t think I would be able to handle [advanced classes] because I have a job after school,” said Macareno.

“I would be in school thinking of [my family]. What if they need me? What if something bad happens? I wouldn’t pay attention the whole week. That doesn’t work in advanced classes,” said a student in the Adelante program.

The administration is working on the issue. Principal Don Stenstrud thinks that starting to support students early, before

high school, would help. He is having conversations with other schools that feed into Fairview, but, as of now, there are no concrete solutions. Assistant Principal Rose Lupinacci is on a school committee working to raise the number of Latinx students in advanced programs, and she has a goal of making the school website available in Spanish.

"What if they need me? What if something bad happens? I wouldn’t pay attention the whole week."

The Adelante program is a good start, but its purpose provides general support for Latinx students. It is not intended to boost them into higher class levels.

Stenstrud said, “Do we push all our students equally?” The evidence seems to indicate that the school does not.

MORGAN HUNT // SECTION EDITOR ARIA WOZNIAK // STAFF REPORTER Left: a spotlight on an empty seat, representing the seats not occupied by Latinx students in advanced classes.

PHOTO BY SAM SALIBA

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Stumped? Find the answers on www.fhsroyalbanner.com

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

Can you find the 10 differences in these photos?

An aerial view of the school.

JUSTIN HEIN // PHOTO MANAGER

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BUSINESS Adviser: Sarah M. Zerwin For Subscriptions: Send $25 to Royal Banner, Fairview High School, Room 339, 1515 Greenbriar Blvd, Boulder, CO 80305, or contact us at fhsroyalbanner.com/contact

ABOUT US The Royal Banner is a 16-page news magazine. The Banner is written primarily for the over 2,400 students attending Fairview High School and is distributed free of charge to all members of the school community.

Accurate reporting of fact is the goal of the staff. Commentaries, opinion columns and letters to the editor are the expressed opinion of the author and not of The Royal Banner and its Editorial Board or its adviser. *Disclaimer: Under Colorado law, no expression made by students in the exercise of free speech or freedom of the press shall be deemed to be an expression of school policy.

No school district, employee, legal guardian or official of such a district shall be held liable in any criminal action for any expression made or published by a student. The Royal Banner sells advertisements for publicity and to pay for printing costs. We reserve the right to refuse to run any advertisement deemed inappropriate to the Fairview community.

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