In the picture above, it has been digitally darkened, blurred, and filtered so that the viewer cannot easily tell the race of each individual. My biggest project, my most controversial piece, my best in depth investigation during my time at Blackfoot High is a special report on the natural segregation of our students, In a school that is predominately white, Mormon, and middle class, what happens when a student is a minority? How does it affect their test scores, classroom experience, life inside and out of the school building, and their social standing among the people who aren't like them?
This is what I set out to solve in my investigative report. It also led me to become the first white student in the club: Future Hispanic Leaders Of America. This story does what journalism does best, tells it how it is and it continues to push limits of what administration and teachers feel is comfortable for a student newspaper to print.
This is what I set out to solve in my investigative report. It also led me to become the first white student in the club: Future Hispanic Leaders Of America. This story does what journalism does best, tells it how it is and it continues to push limits of what administration and teachers feel is comfortable for a student newspaper to print.
SPECIAL REPORT: A SCHOOL DIVIDED
The Minority Complex
Classical republicanism was created for the common good of the public in the belief that members of a political community must be fundamentally alike in order to achieve similar goals and harmony among the citizens of the community. The concept is that when introducing, two, three or more diverse groups into a pool of people, there will be separation, quarrels, and competition in a “survival of the fittest” style.
When talking about social and economic diversities former first lady Hilary Clinton once said, “What we have to do is find a way to celebrate our diversity and debate our differences without fracturing our communities.”
There is a natural separation that thrives in our hallways, our classrooms, and our clubs that students are a part of. This year the BroncWriter will go under the radar, into the lives of every student, and report on the divisions between races, sects, and genders inside of the high school. We will see how these differences affect test scores, school pride, and the sense of security each student has at the school. In this issue:
When talking about social and economic diversities former first lady Hilary Clinton once said, “What we have to do is find a way to celebrate our diversity and debate our differences without fracturing our communities.”
There is a natural separation that thrives in our hallways, our classrooms, and our clubs that students are a part of. This year the BroncWriter will go under the radar, into the lives of every student, and report on the divisions between races, sects, and genders inside of the high school. We will see how these differences affect test scores, school pride, and the sense of security each student has at the school. In this issue:
INSTALLMENT ONE: CLUBS
Ongoing investigative reporting
by Erick Wood
Editor-in-chief
by Erick Wood
Editor-in-chief
Think back to last Friday’s homecoming assembly where you saw 20 of the constituted clubs at the high school paraded across the stage and celebrated with the intention of finding one male and one female to represent the entirety of the school’s population. When looking at the 40 candidates, the diversity ranging between them didn’t seem to be a fair representation of the school’s population. Only four of the homecoming nominees were of non-Caucasian descent while the other 36 were all white students.
In the past 10 years there hasn’t been one homecoming queen at the school that hasn’t been white and has only ever been one non-Caucasian homecoming king to win, 2013 graduate, Paul Cannon.
Within the walls of the school there are 1,068 students registered and in attendance as of first trimester. Out of those students, 510 of them are female, and 558 are male and out of those students 706 of the school’s population are white, 239 are Hispanic, 64 are Native American, and 59 students identify as having two or more races, Hawaiian, African American, or Asian descent.
When looking at these numbers, the Latino percentage of the school is actually higher than most schools in the state of Idaho. Currently 22 percent of the school’s population is Hispanic while the State’s average report is only 16 percent in high schools across Idaho. The 354 identifiably ethnic students enrolled at the school make up 33.9 percent of the student body, the same percentage that the Idaho State Department of Education reported for the entire state during the 2013-2014 school year.
Because over one-third of the students at the high school are from a non-Caucasian orient, the facts would suggest that the clubs would also be one-third non-Caucasian, in the case of homecoming, one would guess that ten of those students would also be of an ethnic background but that simply isn’t the case.
When looking into the clubs it is evident that there is a definite separation between white students and students of ethnicity. After surveying each club in the past 10 years, the clubs that remain continually diverse throughout the decade are the Art club first, remaining one of two clubs that continually has an almost equal Latino to Caucasian student ratio, the other being Drama, and the following which feature more than 10 percent of their club consisting of a minority group: the Indian Club, Future Hispanic Leaders of America, and the no longer operational, German club.
“Art and culture are the center of society. They keep us human and every culture is proud of it. Exchange students take the art classes and they know the answers because it’s one of the only things that translates to every culture,” art teacher Brenda Bodily explained about her club.
Native Studies teacher Merle Smith is the Indian club adviser while Spanish teacher, Paula Maldonado, is returning to the adviser spot for FHLA after its adviser left the school last year. The German club has been left without an adviser after teacher Robert Sellers retired.
“I think it’s because it’s their club [Indian club and FHLA] and it would be weird if they [someone not Native or Hispanic] joined the club. They wouldn’t want them in there,” Marissa Delgado (11) said.
National Honors Society is a club that has zero diversity in the club. Every member this year are white students with a 3.6 GPA or higher. Debate club as well is lacking in diversity with only two non-Caucasian students, one Israeli and the other African American out of over 30 students when the club started.
“It’s embarrassing to look at. I would have expected it to be more, but our club really is not diverse at all this year,” debate coach Jennifer Shumway said. Shumway also noted that four ethnic students did drop out of the club since the beginning of the year.
“(Being the adviser for FHLA and NHS) I see no difference,” Spanish teacher, Paula Maldonado said. “Both groups, although one is all Latino and the other is all white students, have leaders who step up. They both have slackers, and I see both of those kinds of students. But the real difference, and the only one that I can see, is that the students in National Honors Society are the leaders of the school and they have the tools to become those leaders, and maybe they don’t feel like the minority and are willing to step up and join student council or stuff like that. Some of the FHLA students, they don’t have the tools at home and they don’t know how to use these things. An NHS student has the means to go home and make a PowerPoint but these others, they aren’t familiar with the technology, and where are they going to get that? In the school. Many Latino students are invited to join NHS and they meet the requirements, but they never turn in the paperwork,” Maldonado said.
“I have many students who come to me and I try to help them get scholarships or I give them information on art competitions because they don’t have that help from family at home or can’t get it,” Bodily said.
Although Latinos and Native Americans are the minority in the school, there are more or them at this school than in others. So, the question begs to be asked, is Blackfoot High School really diverse? Author, Tyler Cowen says “Real cultural diversity results from the interchange of ideas, products, and influences, not from the insular development of a single national style.”
In the past 10 years there hasn’t been one homecoming queen at the school that hasn’t been white and has only ever been one non-Caucasian homecoming king to win, 2013 graduate, Paul Cannon.
Within the walls of the school there are 1,068 students registered and in attendance as of first trimester. Out of those students, 510 of them are female, and 558 are male and out of those students 706 of the school’s population are white, 239 are Hispanic, 64 are Native American, and 59 students identify as having two or more races, Hawaiian, African American, or Asian descent.
When looking at these numbers, the Latino percentage of the school is actually higher than most schools in the state of Idaho. Currently 22 percent of the school’s population is Hispanic while the State’s average report is only 16 percent in high schools across Idaho. The 354 identifiably ethnic students enrolled at the school make up 33.9 percent of the student body, the same percentage that the Idaho State Department of Education reported for the entire state during the 2013-2014 school year.
Because over one-third of the students at the high school are from a non-Caucasian orient, the facts would suggest that the clubs would also be one-third non-Caucasian, in the case of homecoming, one would guess that ten of those students would also be of an ethnic background but that simply isn’t the case.
When looking into the clubs it is evident that there is a definite separation between white students and students of ethnicity. After surveying each club in the past 10 years, the clubs that remain continually diverse throughout the decade are the Art club first, remaining one of two clubs that continually has an almost equal Latino to Caucasian student ratio, the other being Drama, and the following which feature more than 10 percent of their club consisting of a minority group: the Indian Club, Future Hispanic Leaders of America, and the no longer operational, German club.
“Art and culture are the center of society. They keep us human and every culture is proud of it. Exchange students take the art classes and they know the answers because it’s one of the only things that translates to every culture,” art teacher Brenda Bodily explained about her club.
Native Studies teacher Merle Smith is the Indian club adviser while Spanish teacher, Paula Maldonado, is returning to the adviser spot for FHLA after its adviser left the school last year. The German club has been left without an adviser after teacher Robert Sellers retired.
“I think it’s because it’s their club [Indian club and FHLA] and it would be weird if they [someone not Native or Hispanic] joined the club. They wouldn’t want them in there,” Marissa Delgado (11) said.
National Honors Society is a club that has zero diversity in the club. Every member this year are white students with a 3.6 GPA or higher. Debate club as well is lacking in diversity with only two non-Caucasian students, one Israeli and the other African American out of over 30 students when the club started.
“It’s embarrassing to look at. I would have expected it to be more, but our club really is not diverse at all this year,” debate coach Jennifer Shumway said. Shumway also noted that four ethnic students did drop out of the club since the beginning of the year.
“(Being the adviser for FHLA and NHS) I see no difference,” Spanish teacher, Paula Maldonado said. “Both groups, although one is all Latino and the other is all white students, have leaders who step up. They both have slackers, and I see both of those kinds of students. But the real difference, and the only one that I can see, is that the students in National Honors Society are the leaders of the school and they have the tools to become those leaders, and maybe they don’t feel like the minority and are willing to step up and join student council or stuff like that. Some of the FHLA students, they don’t have the tools at home and they don’t know how to use these things. An NHS student has the means to go home and make a PowerPoint but these others, they aren’t familiar with the technology, and where are they going to get that? In the school. Many Latino students are invited to join NHS and they meet the requirements, but they never turn in the paperwork,” Maldonado said.
“I have many students who come to me and I try to help them get scholarships or I give them information on art competitions because they don’t have that help from family at home or can’t get it,” Bodily said.
Although Latinos and Native Americans are the minority in the school, there are more or them at this school than in others. So, the question begs to be asked, is Blackfoot High School really diverse? Author, Tyler Cowen says “Real cultural diversity results from the interchange of ideas, products, and influences, not from the insular development of a single national style.”
INSTALLMENT TWO: ACADEMICS
Ongoing investigative reporting
by Erick Wood
Editor-in-chief
by Erick Wood
Editor-in-chief
“I think that everybody pretty much knows that minorities aren’t a big part of dual credit classes, and that is just a fact,” Stephen Hong (12) said about the difference between college level English and Government classes versus basic level classes. “The school needs to be able to gently push [these students] into an environment where they [can] have a desire to learn.”
According to the schools statistics, minority students currently are more likely to take basic level English, math, and history classes compared to Caucasian students who are more likely to take honors classes at the high school.
There are 72 honors or college classes offered at BHS and even more regular classes. For freshman level English, the percentage of minority students in an honors class versus white students, is one out of four, whereas in a Basic English class the ratio of minorities is equal to Caucasian students. As the years go on the numbers change drastically with Honors classes being filled over 80 percent Caucasian students and basic classes are over 60 percent minorities. The classes also differ with English classes that show three times as many minority students taking basic level classes versus the honors equivalent.
For Junior and Senior classes such as American History, the number once again increases with almost 90 percent of the students in honors classes being Caucasian and an average of 50 percent of the students in basic history are minority students.
Throughout all four years there is one constant, in every class Hispanic students and Native American students have a greater number of students in basic classes rather than honors. In senior college classes such as Layne Gardner’s English prep class there are a total of 60 students enrolled with 53 of those students declaring themselves as Caucasian, one student who is African American, one Hispanic, and five who are either two or more races or undefined.
Hong, who falls into the latter category, said, “Often time it seems that a lot of minorities come from less fortunate backgrounds. Because of those backgrounds, they probably put other things before school.” Hong continues to clarify that even though he is considered a minority student, because of the culture and household he was raised in, he has always been encouraged to work hard and get good grades.
But that isn’t the case for every minority student. Each year the high school releases the top ten (and recently eleven) students, including the Salutatorian and Valedictorian, of the graduating class that has the highest GPAs. In the past eight years there have only been five minority students in the top scholars out of the 80 students who have received this honor, two of which are siblings to Hong, 2013 Alumni Ben Hong and 2011 Alum, Isaac Hong. The other two are brothers Paul Cannon and Robert Cannon and the last is Native American, Bailey Dann.
“It really depends on their culture. A lot of students come from households where their parents didn’t graduate from college and they follow in their footsteps. However, I have some students who know they have to work harder because they need scholarships and then some white students whose parents can afford [college.] I have two children who are minorities, but they grew up in a white household and consider themselves Caucasian. I think it really depends on the culture they are raised in,” math teacher Miesha Beck said. According to the National Center of Educational Statistics, Idaho had a two percent dropout rate in 2008, roughly 331 students in the state, 80 percent of those students were minority students. If two percent of Blackfoot’s population dropped out today, it could be estimated that 18 out of 22 students would be minorities dropping out with our school having 1,068 students and 33 percent being non-Caucasian. All of this data begs the question, if the school is 33 percent non-Caucasian, shouldn’t the classes reflect that as well, rather than the distinct differentiation between honors and basic classes?
“A culture cannot just be uprooted and made equal to a different standard. Giving a ton of assignments doesn’t breed outstanding desires to be better. Teachers should have a positive influence on [these students,]” Hong said.
According to the schools statistics, minority students currently are more likely to take basic level English, math, and history classes compared to Caucasian students who are more likely to take honors classes at the high school.
There are 72 honors or college classes offered at BHS and even more regular classes. For freshman level English, the percentage of minority students in an honors class versus white students, is one out of four, whereas in a Basic English class the ratio of minorities is equal to Caucasian students. As the years go on the numbers change drastically with Honors classes being filled over 80 percent Caucasian students and basic classes are over 60 percent minorities. The classes also differ with English classes that show three times as many minority students taking basic level classes versus the honors equivalent.
For Junior and Senior classes such as American History, the number once again increases with almost 90 percent of the students in honors classes being Caucasian and an average of 50 percent of the students in basic history are minority students.
Throughout all four years there is one constant, in every class Hispanic students and Native American students have a greater number of students in basic classes rather than honors. In senior college classes such as Layne Gardner’s English prep class there are a total of 60 students enrolled with 53 of those students declaring themselves as Caucasian, one student who is African American, one Hispanic, and five who are either two or more races or undefined.
Hong, who falls into the latter category, said, “Often time it seems that a lot of minorities come from less fortunate backgrounds. Because of those backgrounds, they probably put other things before school.” Hong continues to clarify that even though he is considered a minority student, because of the culture and household he was raised in, he has always been encouraged to work hard and get good grades.
But that isn’t the case for every minority student. Each year the high school releases the top ten (and recently eleven) students, including the Salutatorian and Valedictorian, of the graduating class that has the highest GPAs. In the past eight years there have only been five minority students in the top scholars out of the 80 students who have received this honor, two of which are siblings to Hong, 2013 Alumni Ben Hong and 2011 Alum, Isaac Hong. The other two are brothers Paul Cannon and Robert Cannon and the last is Native American, Bailey Dann.
“It really depends on their culture. A lot of students come from households where their parents didn’t graduate from college and they follow in their footsteps. However, I have some students who know they have to work harder because they need scholarships and then some white students whose parents can afford [college.] I have two children who are minorities, but they grew up in a white household and consider themselves Caucasian. I think it really depends on the culture they are raised in,” math teacher Miesha Beck said. According to the National Center of Educational Statistics, Idaho had a two percent dropout rate in 2008, roughly 331 students in the state, 80 percent of those students were minority students. If two percent of Blackfoot’s population dropped out today, it could be estimated that 18 out of 22 students would be minorities dropping out with our school having 1,068 students and 33 percent being non-Caucasian. All of this data begs the question, if the school is 33 percent non-Caucasian, shouldn’t the classes reflect that as well, rather than the distinct differentiation between honors and basic classes?
“A culture cannot just be uprooted and made equal to a different standard. Giving a ton of assignments doesn’t breed outstanding desires to be better. Teachers should have a positive influence on [these students,]” Hong said.
INSTALLMENT THREE: ECONOMY
Ongoing investigative reporting
by Erick Wood
Editor-in-chief
by Erick Wood
Editor-in-chief
At Blackfoot High School 33.9 percent of the student body are minorities. Out of 1,068 students, 256 of them are eligible for free or reduced the lunch program and out of those students, 43 percent of them are on reduced lunch and 57 percent are on full free lunch.
The number of students on the lunch program are used to help the counseling department get grants for scholarships, aid with student fees, and purchase supplies for students who can’t afford it themselves. To be eligible for the lunch program a student must live in a household that earns $21,590 annually for one individual and $7,511 for each family member afterwards.
The average income in Bingham County is $21,721, which is less than the average income nationally at $26,507. The county is the 21st poorest county in Idaho and ranked 1,944 nationally.
At the high school, 85 percent of the individuals signed up for the lunch program are of an ethnic background and are considered to be in the lower economic class. With 33 percent of the students at the high school being minorities, that means one out of two ethnic students are on the program.
Since Bingham County is at an evident financial disadvantage when compared to the rest of the U.S. and even Idaho, many Caucasian students are also considered lower economic status and the counseling department helps to make sure that these students have help and are able to succeed.
“Some of the money is used to help wave fees for ACT tests and PSAT tests which would normally cost the students.” RaeAnne Brown from the counseling department explained. “However not many students take advantage of those waivers. We tell them if they come down that they might be eligible for it but not many sign up.”
“Lots of teachers are really helpful and will take time out of their own schedules to help students find scholarships and answer questions they need,” said freshman Shayley Stephenson. Although Stephenson explains that she has never needed any financial support, she recognizes that there are students who do.
“There are students who need the help, and to have that available is good,” Brianna Frank (9) explained.
Art teacher, Brenda Bodily, who advises the most diverse club according to past membership, says that a lot of her students come to her looking for help with scholarships and art contests because they don’t have the means at home to get money for college.
Financial aid is offered to anyone eligible in the school whether they are Caucasian or of Ethnic background. As African American author Jacqueline Woodson once said, “Diversity is about all of us, and [we have] to figure out how to walk through this world together.”
The number of students on the lunch program are used to help the counseling department get grants for scholarships, aid with student fees, and purchase supplies for students who can’t afford it themselves. To be eligible for the lunch program a student must live in a household that earns $21,590 annually for one individual and $7,511 for each family member afterwards.
The average income in Bingham County is $21,721, which is less than the average income nationally at $26,507. The county is the 21st poorest county in Idaho and ranked 1,944 nationally.
At the high school, 85 percent of the individuals signed up for the lunch program are of an ethnic background and are considered to be in the lower economic class. With 33 percent of the students at the high school being minorities, that means one out of two ethnic students are on the program.
Since Bingham County is at an evident financial disadvantage when compared to the rest of the U.S. and even Idaho, many Caucasian students are also considered lower economic status and the counseling department helps to make sure that these students have help and are able to succeed.
“Some of the money is used to help wave fees for ACT tests and PSAT tests which would normally cost the students.” RaeAnne Brown from the counseling department explained. “However not many students take advantage of those waivers. We tell them if they come down that they might be eligible for it but not many sign up.”
“Lots of teachers are really helpful and will take time out of their own schedules to help students find scholarships and answer questions they need,” said freshman Shayley Stephenson. Although Stephenson explains that she has never needed any financial support, she recognizes that there are students who do.
“There are students who need the help, and to have that available is good,” Brianna Frank (9) explained.
Art teacher, Brenda Bodily, who advises the most diverse club according to past membership, says that a lot of her students come to her looking for help with scholarships and art contests because they don’t have the means at home to get money for college.
Financial aid is offered to anyone eligible in the school whether they are Caucasian or of Ethnic background. As African American author Jacqueline Woodson once said, “Diversity is about all of us, and [we have] to figure out how to walk through this world together.”
INSTALLMENT FOUR: SPORTS
Ongoing investigative reporting
by Erick Wood
Editor-in-chief
by Erick Wood
Editor-in-chief
There are 1,068 students who currently attend the high school and out of those students roughly 286 of them participate in athletic teams within the school. Out of the students who are enrolled, 33.9 percent of them are minority students of African American, Native American, Pacific Island and Asian descent. Although one-third of students are minorities, our sports teams do not always reflect those numbers.
For the past 10 years the sports teams haven’t changed much in diversity. Since 2005, both golf and tennis have been predominately white students with four or fewer Asian students on the team. On the flipside, both the boys’ and girls’ soccer teams haven’t had any more than five white students each. The same can be seen on the softball and baseball team where each had only one minority student on the team in 2005 and none again for two years.
Track is the most culturally diverse team where over half the team last year were minority students. This year however, the cross country team were all Caucasian aside from one Latino student, two Native Americans, and a Hawaiian student; which means 89 percent of the team was Caucasian.
In the fall sports season, the most diverse program was the football teams with 23 of the 100 players being minority students. The least diverse team was the JV girls’ soccer team where Ashley Friedel (11), was one of only two Caucasian students to play.
“I’m good friends with every girl on the team, Latino or not. I wasn’t involved a whole lot though because I didn’t put in as much effort into the team,” Friedel said.
On the varsity team there are three other Caucasian students including Madison Rigby (11) who says that everyone on the team works together and are great friends.
Considering that the school is 33 percent minority students, one might expect that the sports teams would reflect this number, but so far this year almost every sport has had only about 20 percent minority students representing their team. The exceptions to this rule are the soccer teams and girls basketball which is actually the most diverse sport this year; almost equally matched.
The trends seen in the school match trends set nationally. According to a story by ESPN on hidden demographics in high schools, Caucasian students tend to start organized sports at a younger age (six years old) and minority students don’t start participating in sports until they are eight or nine. Sports such as golf and tennis have more white players than ethnic players and the NBA has more minorities on the teams than Caucasian players.
Athletic director, Madeline Casanova, who is of Latino dissent and participated in high school sports in her hometown says that she doesn’t think any coaches at the high school treat any of the students differently because of their race. She says that a bigger focus on academics and athletics together will help in the long run because only one percent of high school students go on to the college level.
Liam Pope, who is the boys’ soccer coach, said, “Soccer is the number one sport in Mexican culture and our team is more technically minded, very different than say Century High School. In Blackfoot, the players are more technically gifted, more aggressive. That’s how you get your Andres (Godinez), your Jordan (Garcia), and your Ceasar (Osegura).”
He explains, “As a coach, when we talk about race, people think it’s divisive. All the kids come together as a team, we don’t let race enter into our thinking. The boys don’t let it.”
For the past 10 years the sports teams haven’t changed much in diversity. Since 2005, both golf and tennis have been predominately white students with four or fewer Asian students on the team. On the flipside, both the boys’ and girls’ soccer teams haven’t had any more than five white students each. The same can be seen on the softball and baseball team where each had only one minority student on the team in 2005 and none again for two years.
Track is the most culturally diverse team where over half the team last year were minority students. This year however, the cross country team were all Caucasian aside from one Latino student, two Native Americans, and a Hawaiian student; which means 89 percent of the team was Caucasian.
In the fall sports season, the most diverse program was the football teams with 23 of the 100 players being minority students. The least diverse team was the JV girls’ soccer team where Ashley Friedel (11), was one of only two Caucasian students to play.
“I’m good friends with every girl on the team, Latino or not. I wasn’t involved a whole lot though because I didn’t put in as much effort into the team,” Friedel said.
On the varsity team there are three other Caucasian students including Madison Rigby (11) who says that everyone on the team works together and are great friends.
Considering that the school is 33 percent minority students, one might expect that the sports teams would reflect this number, but so far this year almost every sport has had only about 20 percent minority students representing their team. The exceptions to this rule are the soccer teams and girls basketball which is actually the most diverse sport this year; almost equally matched.
The trends seen in the school match trends set nationally. According to a story by ESPN on hidden demographics in high schools, Caucasian students tend to start organized sports at a younger age (six years old) and minority students don’t start participating in sports until they are eight or nine. Sports such as golf and tennis have more white players than ethnic players and the NBA has more minorities on the teams than Caucasian players.
Athletic director, Madeline Casanova, who is of Latino dissent and participated in high school sports in her hometown says that she doesn’t think any coaches at the high school treat any of the students differently because of their race. She says that a bigger focus on academics and athletics together will help in the long run because only one percent of high school students go on to the college level.
Liam Pope, who is the boys’ soccer coach, said, “Soccer is the number one sport in Mexican culture and our team is more technically minded, very different than say Century High School. In Blackfoot, the players are more technically gifted, more aggressive. That’s how you get your Andres (Godinez), your Jordan (Garcia), and your Ceasar (Osegura).”
He explains, “As a coach, when we talk about race, people think it’s divisive. All the kids come together as a team, we don’t let race enter into our thinking. The boys don’t let it.”
INSTALLMENT FIVE: CULTURE
THIS WILL BE UNVEILED IN OUR APRIL 15 2015 ISSUE
INSTALLMENT SIX: SOCIAL LIVES
THIS WILL CONCLUDE THE REPORT IN MAY 2015