Thursday, October 27th, 2022
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The Pepperbox | Page 7
Student experiences of racism Alex Phelan Art Director
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ith almost 70% of Arcata High School students being White, some students of color don’t always feel safe on campus. In 2021, the district released a Humboldt County BIPOC Student Listening Report (written by Alannah Smith), describing students’ experiences in Humboldt County High Schools. The report found that “being called racial slurs, hearing White peers use racial slurs, being questioned or mocked on certain stereotypes, having their hair touched without permission, seeing the confederate flag around campus, and dealing with offensive comments related to their race or culture” were common occurrences.
Some of these are examples of microaggressions. These microaggressions can come from anyone, such as teachers, students, parents, and administrators. In an interview with the Black Student Union President, senior Elisha Green, I asked how administration and staff can better support students of color on campus. “They can create more opportunities for people of color. Just being more open to talk about things and having more diversity in history, because, at least at the moment, a lot of history is just European based, which I think should change,” Green said. In a separate interview with an anonymous student, I asked if he had any experience with harassment on campus, and he was quick to answer with two stories. “One time I was walking out from class to go home, and two
guys were behind me throwing rocks at me.” Another time, “while walking past the strip by Six Rivers to the gym, some guys [drove by] and called me a monkey out of the window,” he said. These are not rare examples of harassment at Arcata High, because many students of color face these experiences at one point or another. These are things that White students and teachers need to be aware of. “I think [students of color] do have resources but not the ones that would be most adequate for their situations. I think having a more diverse staff that students can go to would be helpful,” Green said. As representatives of the school, teachers should represent the student body, which means having awareness and sensitivity since only a portion of faculty and staff
are non-White. “Teachers need to check what they say,” an anonymous student stated. The behavior of staff should reflect the policy and mission of Arcata High. “There’s just kind of a lack of respect for people of color in general, especially when it comes to certain language learning classes,” the anonymous student claimed. Arcata High’s mission statement is, “To provide meaningful educational experiences in a safe, supportive environment through innovative programs aimed at empowering students to reach their full potential to be prepared for future college and career opportunities.” This article highlights students’ experiences of an unsafe and unsupportive learning environment. This is why an incident reporting
for faculty. Griffith said she didn’t feel like schools in general were supported enough. She estimated she probably spends a little over $100 of personal money every year on supplies for school. Jennifer Berube, the school’s librarian, believes there is money for some things, but not money for everything teachers and staff would like. Berube said at least six or seven hundred dollars every year is spent on things for the library. Her budget has stayed the same, despite book prices rising. “I buy books frequently when I’m out in the community looking around and see a book I think would be great for the library,” Berube said. “I could just choose to buy it for
$15 out of my own pocket at that moment, or go through a process where I have to submit a requisition purchase order,.” Berube added. The procedure to get reimbursed is very complicated, and it’s much easier to just buy something outof-pocket. “ Not to say the district wouldn’t pay for some of the things I pay for, it’s the process of getting it,” Berube said. DonorsChoose is a way to help teachers. It’s a website where you can pick an educational cause and people can donate money to fund it. Sometimes, large corporations will chip in and match funding. There are all sorts of projects on this website where people can choose where they want to donate
money. Both Griffith and Berube have used DonorsChoose as a way to fundraise for their causes. Some students are unaware that teachers have to spend out-ofpocket money on school supplies. Freshman Jada Lusk had no idea. “Well, now I do,” she said. “That’s crazy. That’s sad, and we should probably pay our teachers more.” It’s not only the students that believe teachers and staff should be more substantially funded. “We need to put importance on education. If schools and teachers were more financially supported, then there would be more of an enriched environment for the students. It would be better for everybody,” Griffth said.
Our teachers pay out of pocket Ilana Maclay
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News Editor
aper, pencils, books, cleaning materials, and tissues. Annually, teachers at Arcata High are given $300 to spend on things like these that they need for school, yet some teachers have to dip into their personal money for supplies that they need in their classrooms. “It all adds up,” Laurie Griffith, an AHS teacher, explained, “pencils, paper, you know? I make cookies sometimes or I just buy little Halloween pencils or whatever for the kids, and that’s not going to get, you know, reimbursed,” Griffith continued. There were varying opinions from teachers, staff, and students about a lack of financial support