FACES OF
MSD
Quarter Three 2022 Volume 7, Number 2
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School 5901 Pine Island Road Parkland, FL 33076
The Eagle Eye Quarter Three 2022 • Volume 7, Number 2
Front cover by Julia Landy and Mariajose Vera
21
Editorial cartoon by Julia Landy The opinions expressed in this paper are not necessarily those of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School or Broward County Public Schools. The publication is a member of the Florida Scholastic Press Association, the National Scholastic Press Association, the Columbia Scholastic Press Association and the Southern Interscholastic Press Association. If you would like to advertise please call (754) 322-2150 or email MSDEagleEyeNews@gmail.com
Visit us at: eagleeye.news @HumansofMSD on Instagram @EagleEyeMSD on Twitter @EagleEyeMSD on Instagram @MSDEagleEye on TikTok
03 Letters to the Editor what makes us 05 expanding curriculum 06 page turners 09 culturally responsive teaching 11 critical controversy 12 MSD student body shares their perspective on various issues
The Eagle Eye explores the racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, gender, political and religious diversity of MSD’s student body Studies show minority students inadequately represented in school curriculum Books available for check out in the MSD media center incorporate diversity and encourage inclusion
What makes a learning environment culturally responsive?
Photo illustration by Julia Landy and Mariajose Vera
Editorial Board Ivy lam Travis Newbery Lily singer Editors-in-Chief
Kate Becker sophia golberg Haley jackson Abby marton tatiana ortiz Sofia osio Isabel white Copy Editors
nya owusu-afriyie theron piccininni Mariajose vera Rayne welser Kelsie yon Photo Editors
Reece gary Julianne LoFurno david lopez Sophia Squiccirini Sports Editors
Julia landy
Managing, Graphics & Design Editor
sofia schorer kaplan Ryan shimony Assistant Managing Editors
Sasha Lechtenstein dana masri Delaney Walker Social Media Editors
Staff
Dhaanya Balaji Jessie Gesund Bailey Carter Sophie Goodman Kelly Cooke Madison Lenard Madison Friedman Ashveen Saini Ethan Flores Rothmund Mariapaz Santacoloma Brynn Schwartz Kayla Gamm
Melissa Falkowski Adviser
Heated political discussions around Critical Race Theory create controversy across US, leading to state bans
17 red, white and blue walking with faith 19 going viral 21 faces of msd 22
Students support ideologies across political spectrum
Religious beliefs influence students in variety of ways
Volatility of TikTok videos leaves student to deal with online harassment
• Senior Santiago Ordonez eyes back-to-back state championship • Senior Jayden Adjodha balances dragon dance and debate • MSD step team captain Layla Ali honors her mom’s legacy • Freshman Preesha Zaveri discovers passions within her Hindu culture • Sophomore Kyra Tuestra juggles injuries, school and soccer • Junior Damian Francis tells his story through art and music • Freshman Sathvik Sarathy grows into nationally successful KA100 kart driver • Senior Angela Guiso applies her skills to assemble fantasy costumes • Sophomore Manahil Kashif opens business tied to her culture • Junior Noldine Belizaire works to facilitate change and highlight diversity at MSD • Senior Gabriela Bravo commits herself to martial arts and writing
30 stop the slur 31
let’s think critically
Critical Race Theory must be taught in schools in order for students to understand and change systemic racism The R-word remains an offensive slur that perpetuates the exclusion of people with disabilities in our society
Design by Travis Newbery
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Get Rid of the Rank
Dear Editor, These days, schools are becoming increasingly competitive, and everyone is aiming to be the best of the best. Students are determining their own intelligence based on things like standardized testing scores and class rank. This competition and constant comparison of students among their peers can take a toll on their mental health. Class rank should be eliminated from schools because it causes students to compare themselves to those around them, which allows them to develop an unhealthy mindset. Comparing their class rank to those around them can lower their self-esteem and actually cause them to do worse than before. It creates a negative environment for everyone and can result in students tying their self-worth to their grades. In addition, it causes conflict among peers themselves and results in the development of grudges. Instead of helping each other, they may try to bring each other down, which is not the type of environment schools should create. Class rank is also an inaccurate way of assessing a student’s intelligence as some schools are harder than others and some teachers may also grade more rigorously than others. Class rank should be eliminated because it causes students to doubt their self-worth, hold grudges against each other and it is an invalid method of assessing their intelligence. Maansi Amin, 10
Shaky Sequels Dear Editor, I would like to fully explain to you a massive global issue: the Disney Star Wars movies. They completely undermine the events of the previous two trilogies, and take away all the value of Anakin Skywalker’s sacrifice. The prequel trilogy, while disliked by many, had a very important purpose in showing Anakin’s origins. It shows his gradual fall to the dark side, along with the hubris of the Jedi Council and corruption of the Galactic Senate, which are main factors that led to the downfall of the Republic. The original trilogy led many to believe that Luke Skywalker was the Chosen One; however, the events at the end of “Return of the Jedi,” in which Anakin killed Emperor Palpatine and brought balance to the force cemented Anakin’s position as the true chosen one. Palpatine’s return in Disney’s sequel trilogy undermines Anakin’s sacrifice, and the main character, Rey, being a Palpatine makes the Skywalker bloodline sit in the sidelines, which simply should not happen since it is a mainstay of the franchise. The three movies were terribly connected and did not have a cohesive plot. It is nearly impossible to ruin Star Wars, but Disney managed to do just that with their sequel trilogy. Hopefully, it gets retconned by a new Star Wars project. Caleb Hebert, 10
All Too Common
Dear Editor, It is highly disappointing that in 2021, marginalized LGBTQ+ students still have to feel shame and discomfort at the language of their peers. Too many times I’ve heard students nearby casually throwing around hurtful words. I’ve passed people in the hallway calling each other “gay;” I’ve seen people laugh at the “stupid” idea of non-binary identities, and I’ve even sat uncomfortably right near kids in class using the dreaded f-slur (usually multiple times within the same conversation). Not only is it highly offensive to other students like me, but it also enforces in our minds that in this school, we are not completely welcome or accepted. It creates a toxic
atmosphere and can be damaging to the mental health of all LGBTQ+ students. As a Gender & Sexuality Alliance officer at the school and a member of the nonprofit Equality Florida’s Youth Leadership Council, I strive to make our school, and schools all over Florida, learn to accept each and every student, regardless of identity. This is extremely difficult to achieve at the systematic level, and even so, the problem would not be completely solved. However, if we could start by ensuring all students treated each other with dignity and respect, we could be on our way to making this school a safe space for ALL students. Sarah Nikaj, 12
Trash Talk Dear Editor, The people in this school are truly disgusting. Everyday after lunch, without fail, there will be garbage littering the stairs and milk spilled somewhere on the ground. I don’t get how some students can be so filthy. I partially blame overcrowding in the school because kids are forced to sit on the stairs to eat since there is no space for them to sit. But I also blame the kids too because it cannot possibly be that hard to throw out your garbage after
eating. But no, instead they decide to leave their half-eaten trays and empty milk cartons on the steps, forcing people who have to go to class to tiptoe around them and the janitors to clean up after them. It’s ridiculous! Not only is it really gross, it’s also a safety hazard. People could easily slip on the trash and hurt themselves. I just wish that these students would grow up and learn how to clean up after themselves. It’s not that hard. Lybah Haque, 12
Feeling Overshadowed
Dear Editor, What is up with the morning and afternoon announcements? I understand that MSD is packed with extracurriculars, but it seems like certain clubs and activities get way more voice than others on the announcements. For example, the Spoken Word Club spent weeks planning and working on the annual fundraiser of an Open Mic. Despite club organizers repeatedly requesting to be mentioned on announcements, the request was ignored and the fundraiser was completely skipped over. The impact of this was clear, as only a handful of people showed up, an incredibly low number compared to years prior. This lack of representation of a longstanding club at MSD is a total disservice to the poets and writers
who took time to write and rehearse, as well as those who may have been interested in attending but had no idea about the event. This event was meant to spread awareness and raise funds for upcoming competitions. This event was meant to be more. This instance was hypocritical for a school that claims to be for the arts. I’m sure other clubs feel just as discarded. Incredibly, the announcers have made time to make jokes and puns, instead of making actual announcements. In my opinion, it shows a total disregard for what students care about. In fact, students often talk over and ignore announcements, knowing that usually not much is actually said. Announcements, please do better, all clubs should be heard. Maria Martin, 12
Put the Brakes On
Dear Editor, I must complain about an issue that has made itself known to me more times than I can count: Jeep trucks. I wish that the world would spare me from having to see those horrible things on the street. I seldom hate car models more than that of the Jeep truck. I know that my sentiments are shared by many, and I trust myself to speak on their account, as well as mine, when I say that they are a complete disgrace to the car community. The standard Jeep Wrangler is an amazing
car, loved by so many and a joy to see on the road. What I fail to understand is why they would ruin such a wonderful model by adding a disgraceful, boxy truck bed to the end. This issue could be applied nationally or simply citywide when I say that nine times out of ten, the owner of said Jeep truck is in no need of a truck bed. That may be the worst part of it all. Thank you for listening to the deep-rooted problems that cause my despair; I hope it can be solved in the future. Hannah Hackney, 10
Room for More
Dear Editor, I believe there should be more diverse language opportunities for students at MSD. The two language classes offered currently are Spanish and French, with Spanish debatably having the most utility for a student within Florida. However, I argue that there are other language courses that provide more benefit and utility for students. American Sign Language has more nationwide applications than Spanish does. Ultimately, people can study Spanish and potentially master it to become translators; however, the same is true for those fluent in ASL. Translators for ASL are needed nationwide for any event that has a large audience and are even needed in governments for translating official statements and addresses. Additionally, I believe coding classes should count as language credits because although code is not a spoken language between people, it allows people to communicate with computers, which is becoming increasingly beneficial and important. Being able to “speak code” can easily be someone’s ticket to a well-paying and accessible job. Language classes at MSD should have more options that have more utility for students throughout life. Nicholas Eichner, 10
Outsider Trading Dear Editor, We must ban politicians from actively trading stocks. It is unfair to have politicians who, whether they like it or not, have insider knowledge about the country being able to trade stocks. The laws currently surrounding this issue are very loose and only make politicians submit their purchases in the following 90 days. This must stop as they are being given knowledge that the rest of the population does not have access to, and because of this, they have a clear advantage over the rest of the country. By being a politician, they are automatically going to be given private insider information, and even if they don’t directly use this information when making decisions, it will always be in the back of their minds. Just back in February 2020, we saw many senators and representatives selling stock due to information they received about just how severe the incoming threat of COVID-19 was. We saw in the coming months that the market crashed, and many people lost fortunes. Politicians were not among these people, as they were able to get out quick and easy all without a dent in their wallets. Ben Adelman, 10
Send us a letter Have something to say about school? Have something to say about a local, national or global issue? Have something to say about this issue of The Eagle Eye? We want to hear your opinions. Email submissions to: msdeagleeyenews@gmail.com
Submissions must be between 100-250 words
Letters to the Editor 03
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Us 20% Design by Julia Landy
What Makes
In this special edition, the Eagle Eye explores the racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, gender, political and religious diversity of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School’s student body
28% of MSD students are Hispanic
Racial makeup of MSD students according to school administration 3.7% Multiracial .14% Pacific Islander
+13841 73
.62% Indigenous
74.4% White
8.4% Asian
12.8% Black
Student population by grade level:
951
911
Freshmen
Sophomores
27%
26%
827
834
Juniors 23%
Seniors 24%
3523 students total
19%
of MSD students identify as part of LGBTQIA+ community
3%
of students identify as gay or lesbian
11%
of students identify as bisexual
2% 3%
of students identify as asexual
of students identify as panexual
of MSD students are registered for free or reduced lunches according to school administration Political affiliations of MSD students 15% Republican 2% Libertarian 1% Green Party
45+32+15215 5% Other
32% Democrat 45% Independent
From a survey of 365 MSD students
51%
Assigned gender at birth provided by school administration
49% 52% 41% 3%
of students identify as feminine
of students identify as masculine
of students identify as non-binary
From a survey of 365 MSD students
20%
50
of MSD students have a first language other than English different langauges are spoken by MSD students
Top 5
most common non-English first languages spoken by MSD sudents
385 Spanish speakers 85 Portuguese speakers 41 Creole speakers 34 Chinese speakers 22 Urdu speakers
Provided by school administration
Feature • MSD Diversity 05
E x pa n d i n g
Education Studies show minority students inadequately represented in school curriculum
F
lorida holds one of the highest diversity indexes in the nation at 64.1, as reported by the 2020 United States Census Bureau. Census population projections predict that the U.S. will become “minority white” in 2045. As of 2019, the nation’s under age 15 population is already there, as 50.1% of this age demographic is comprised of racial minorities. According to educational research, in order to prepare students for the future of society, which is increasingly diverse, students need to be exposed to greater diversity in curriculum. This allows for a broader understanding of the various cultures in the population. The increased call for diversity is part of the larger multicultural education movement, which aims to restructure curricula and education institutions so that students from diverse backgrounds can experience equal educational experiences. According to a 2018 article by The Century Foundation contributor Samantha Washington, “students who attend diverse public schools learn more, exhibit less racial prejudice, and report higher overall self-confidence.” Washington reports that crucial to seeing the various benefits of diversity in public schools is the “implementation of a curricula which reflects the history and culture of students of all backgrounds.” Educational research also shows that by implementing more diversity in curriculum, students can gain empathy, open-mindedness and confidence. Despite the benefits, according to Washington, “studies have shown that most students lack a basic understanding of such things as slavery, rudimentary world geography, or the history of indigenous peoples. According to a 2015 study by the National Museum of African American History and Culture, most history classrooms devote only 8% of total class time to Black history. A brief by the American Psychological Association reviewed evidence that insufficient approaches to racial diversity can result in implicit bias toward minority groups. Not only can this affect education, but it can intensify discriminatory behavior and disrupt cognitive processes. Insensitivity to other cultures can negatively impact learning as students can become offended, reluctant to participate, avoid coming to school or become disruptive in class.
Survey of 365 MSD students reveals student experiences with diversity in the curriculum
“I think it’s good to bring different cultures into pieces if I can find them, especially if they are The Florida Department of Education establishes worthy and show a structure of language, themes the criteria for all state curriculum. Florida of drama, or what was important at the time,” Statutes provide the required courses and drama teacher Melody Herzfeld said. “There is no instruction to ensure students fulfill their State subject that can’t be touched when it’s put on the Board of Education-adopted standards. According stage because what the stage does is allow you to the FLDOE website, approved books and to have an imaginary reality, to actually suppose materials are used to “meet the highest standards on something and watch it come out and reveal for professionalism and historic accuracy.” itself, whether it’s beautiful, or it’s really ugly and As long as Florida academic standards are hurtful.” taught, teachers are able to use any curriculum In addition, ethnic, cultural and religious materials available to them. Many teachers minorities should be consistently featured within use supplementary materials to enhance the literature. curriculum offered through textbooks adopted by “A lot of people don’t know their own history, their school districts. and it changes how you think, especially going to Logically, language arts and social studies a predominately-white school. Not knowing your courses most directly correlate with diversity and own history and who you are can really mess with inclusion as they commonly discuss historical you as a person,” senior Devin Moon said. novels or events. Electives such as the performing Building an awareness of international customs arts or world languages also integrate culture to and relations is imperative as it introduces new reflect human creativity or divulge into heritage ideas and helps combat xenophobic beliefs. As the and traditions. Nevertheless, diversity can extend world continues to globalize and become more to virtually any course, including science and math interrelated, students will be expected to interact classes. with new people in their own lives and in their Broward County Public Schools has a careers. Therefore, some teachers attempt to create multicultural education initiative that “aims positive opportunities by having their students at helping all students in the development of share their cultural experiences in the classroom. knowledge, abilities and attitudes needed to “I think diversity in school curriculum isn’t a survive and function effectively in a culturally suggestion, it’s necessary. You have to represent diverse society.” BCPS offers high school electives the country and the population of your students, to meet Florida law that requires schools to teach you have to represent everyone,” psychology about “the history of the Holocaust, the history teacher Dawn Taveres said. “In fact, I think in South of African Americans, Hispanic contributions and Florida, we have many different perspectives than a women’s contributions.” MSD offers both History of lot of other parts of the country. I always talk about the Holocaust Honors and African History Honors. that in my class.” Outside of those specific electives, each Teachers adding to the curriculum often department and grade level sets the curriculum choose to divert from their traditional methods for various MSD core courses, and decides which of textbook teaching to feature the lesser known materials to incorporate. heroes of history or figures of influence within their subject matter. “I think that a lot of the scientists that we To integrate more diversity in everyday tend to focus on are old white guys in the lab, curriculum, teachers can rely on performance and there’s so much more to that. Last year in techniques and other classroom engagement Marine Science 1 at the beginning of the year, I had strategies to enhance the varying experiences my students research famous marine scientists. in the classroom, including fostering student Everyone that I chose as options to select were discussion and avoiding explicit bias. either minorities or women,” environmental According to an article by Jill Anderson, a senior science teacher Tammy Orilio said. digital content creator from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, other recommendations include adding more books that represent Despite the benefits of increased diversity and LGBTQIA+ issues, gender diversity, people of color the drawbacks to its absence in the curriculum, and people with disabilities. there can be significant obstacles in its
State and Local Curriculum
Being Inclusive
Obstacles
Do you believe the implementation of courses like African History and Holocaust History is useful in understanding diversity?
86%
06 Feature • Diversity in Curriculum
Would you rather have your teachers follow traditional methods of teaching or supplement their curriculum with something else?
+986 17 5 +79 21 +6518
9%
Not sure
Yes
Do your teachers often have you share your own cultural experiences in class?
5% No
17% Yes
65% No
18% Not sure
21%
Follow traditional methods of teaching
79%
Supplement their curriculum with something else
Design by Ivy Lam; illustration by Julia Landy
implementation. Fear can limit change in the classroom. Teachers may be concerned on how to address sensitive stereotypes or answer a student’s controversial question. This often keeps teachers away from adding diverse books or materials to the curriculum. “In our nation, we haven’t been good at learning how to talk across differences in a respectful way. And that is supposed to be the fabric of our democracy,” Pamela Mason, director of the Language and Literacy Master’s program and senior lecturer on education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, said in an interview for an article entitled “Hooked on the Classics” by Jill Anderson. According to Anderson, teacher training programs do not always include work about race and identity or address cultural assumptions. “I think the fact that [I am] a teacher who is not necessarily from Parkland, who grew up in the South Bronx and who is from a Caribbean island, I give a different perspective than students are accustomed to because my teaching style is different,” English teacher Nadeen Ashman said. “The curriculum is the curriculum, but we can study novels like ‘The Hate U Give’ that talks about integrated racism or ‘Dear Martin’ that talks about incarceration in the youth. We’re doing a disservice as a teacher if we don’t teach students how to think and how to change the world they’re going out into.” According to the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, “New books like ‘The Hate U Give’ get challenged as ‘anti-cop’ and for profanity, drug use, and sexual references.” These “untraditional” books are subject to scrutiny, despite sharing elements similar to that of American classics. Budgets can also constrain the ability to add diversity to the curriculum. Broward County
Public Schools adopts textbooks for most courses. Outside of those provided materials, schools or departments have to purchase additional materials, and sometimes individual teachers will spend their personal money to buy additional curriculum materials.
Diversity in MSD curriculum
Within the 9th-12th curriculum maps for the MSD English department, 69% of the required books, short stories and poems were authored by white males. Women, Black Americans and other minorities only constituted 31% of the total available texts to choose from within the department. “I’ve seen [diversity in culture] mostly in all the history classes I’ve taken as you have to understand a lot of different perspectives of a lot of different groups to pass the class,” junior Spencer Brenner said. “If I’m being honest, that’s most of what I can think of. English has for sure had some [diversity], but most of it is focused on the ‘Old Masters,’ which just happen to be Europeans.” In a poll of 365 MSD students, 44% of participants stated that they believe there is diversity in the current curriculum, while 19% stated they did not believe there is diversity in the current curriculum and 37% stated they were unsure. It is important to note, that MSD’s student body is 74% white, and the survey did not ask for racial demographics of the respondents. Therefore, it cannot be determined whether the students who believe there is adequate representation in the curriculum are made up of a diverse group of students or not. The survey data available does not determine whether minority students feel represented in the curriculum or not. “There’s a lack of diversity because students have to seek out their own history in their history classes and in their English classes. They felt that
they were reading things that didn’t represent them. The words that were being used [made them feel like] they were excluded,” Ashman said. “The fact that there is a lack of diversity in the curriculum is not beneficial to the students because our student body is changing rapidly. The students need to hear their voices from their ancestors.” In the same survey, 79% of MSD students expressed a preference for teachers to supplement their curriculum with newer material of their choosing, instead of following traditional materials, like classic literature. “[Teachers should] tell the full background of [my culture’s] side. I think it would be so effective [to incorporate more diversity in the curriculum] because [teachers] make it seem like we got out of the mud and we did it. We didn’t, we got thrown in the mud,” senior Anaya Murray said. According to the survey, 65% of MSD students say their teachers do not often have their students share their own cultural experiences in class. “One of the only times I remember is in biology freshman year when my friend brought in tea and that somehow got my teacher asking about where we were all from,” Brenner said. “The only other time I remember was this year when my history teacher asked where my class was from. That’s really the only time any teacher asked about something close to my cultural experiences.” While there is evidence that teachers at MSD are utilizing diverse curriculum materials, the survey of MSD students shows that there is room for much more to be done. With the shifting demographics of the U.S. population that is increasingly becoming “minority white,” it is important that the school and others across the state continue to work adding more diverse materials to their curriculum in order to create an environment where all students feel safe, heard and represented. Story by Ivy Lam
Feature • Diversity in Curriculum 07
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Page Turners
Design by Julia Landy
Books available for check out in the MSD media center incorporate diversity and encourage inclusion
Authors: Jason Reynolds, Brendan Kiely Published: 2015 Genre: Realistic Fiction 310 pages
Author: Dean Atta Published: 2019 Genre: Realistic Fiction 416 pages
Author: Sandhya Menon Published: 2017 Genre: Realistic Fiction 380 pages
Author: Elizabeth Acevedo Published: 2019 Genre: Realistic Fiction 416 pages
Author: Donna Gephart Published: 2016 Genre: Realistic Fiction 352 pages
Author: S.K. Ali Published: 2019 Genre: Realistic Fiction 368 pages
Author: Samira Ahmed Published: 2018 Genre: Realistic Fiction 312 pages
Author: Erika Sánchez Published: 2017 Genre: Realistic Fiction 368 pages
Author: Randy Ribay Published: 2019 Genres: Realistic Fiction, Mystery 352 pages
Author: Elizabeth Acevedo Published: 2020 Genre: Realistic Fiction 384 pages
Authors: Jason Reynolds, Ibram X. Kendi Published: 2020 Genre: Nonfiction 582 pages
Author: Jenny Torres Sanchez Published: 2020 Genre: Realistic Fiction 326 pages Feature • Diversity in Books 09
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Design by Julia Landy
Adaptive Teachers
2
Culturally responsive teachers are empathetic and caring toward their students. They are reflective about their own beliefs and culture and knowledgeable about other cultures.
1
Positive Student-Teacher Relationships
Teachers create personal relationships with their students in order to adequately adapt their curriculum to incorporate the cultures and experiences of their students into their teaching.
What makes a learning environment culturally responsive?
4
Prior Knowledge Students are encouraged to use their prior knowledge to engage in class discussions in order to provide a variety of perspectives on a topic.
3 5
Inclusivity in the Classroom
Literature in the classroom is written by authors of a variety of cultures, races, ethnicities, and backgrounds (see page 09).
Contextual Learning
Learning material is connected to currently relevant issues. The implications of class material in today’s society are discussed. For example, in teaching a history lesson, the teacher may discuss why the implications of the events are relevant in today’s world.
Sources: Education Week, Eric Institute of Education Science & Northeastern University
Feature • Culturally Responsive Teaching 11
Critical Controversy Heated political discussions around Critical Race Theory create controversy across US, leading to state bans
S
erving as one of the most heated topics in school board meetings, Congress and many state legislatures, the controversy surrounding Critical Race Theory currently serves as a major point of contention in the United States. Critical Race Theory pulls many of its foundational beliefs from the 1960s and 70s writings and teachings of Derrick Bell, the intellectual father figure of the theory, who believed that due to its long roots, racism was a permanent and reoccurring issue. Critical Race Theory holds the position that racism is deeply rooted in American history and reappears in society despite apparent progress made toward achieving racial equality. Critical Race Theory explains that racism is entrenched in U.S. institutions, which is commonly referred to as systemic racism.
What is Critical Race Theory?
Officially coined and created in 1989 at the first Critical Race Theory Workshop in Madison, Wisconsin, Critical Race Theory was born after a group of more than 20 scholars worked to identify shifting and more subtle enactments of racism in America. Some of the scholars who played a role in the creation of Critical Race Theory include Kimberlé Crenshaw, Angela Harris, Charles Lawrence, Mari Matsuda and Patricia Williams. The theory was then taught in law schools to better explore the idea of intersection between race and law. Law professor Alan Freeman is credited with writing many foundational articles outlining Critical Race Theory. Critical Race Theory has six foundational beliefs, commonly referred to as tenets. The first tenet explains that race is a “norm” in the U.S. for most people of color. While the U.S. has experienced an evolution in the rights of minorities, Critical Race Theory holds the belief that most people still continue to face racism and discrimination in various areas of their life. The second tenet is known as “interest convergence.” Interest convergence is the idea that any advances made for people of color appear to birth change, but the changes that are made must satisfy the needs of the dominant white population. In simpler terms, Critical Race Theory argues that minorities gain support from white people only when white people will benefit. The third tenet argues that race is not a biological occurrence but is instead socially constructed.
“
This position on race has been supported by many scientific scholars since the late 20th century. Some critical race theorists hold the belief that race is a false correlation between physical and behavioral characteristics. The commonly accepted constructs of race have, in turn, led to years and years of generational feelings of superiority and inferiority. The fourth tenet expresses the idea that minorities experience “differential racialization.” This concept states that stereotypes of minorities shift over time. Different for each minority group, these stereotypes are commonly seen in pop culture and vary based on current events. For example, when U.S. immigration issues experience an increase in attention, the adverse reaction is a rise in antiHispanic rhetoric. The fifth tenet echoes the belief that a person can not be identified with one single group. A person may identify as a female but may also have a sexual, political or religious identity. Put simply, this tenet expresses that minorities have overlapping and intersecting identities. The final tenet of Critical Race Theory explains that being a minority, grants a “presumed competence” to discuss race and racism. By having a presumed confidence, marginalized people can account for their ideas as well as introduce others to a different perspective. The relation between Critical Race Theory and systemic racism also breeds a major question: what is systemic racism and how is it present in today’s society? Systemic racism is a principle arguing that while racism is the outward or obvious oppression of someone because of race, systemic racism is instead described as a pervasive, yet subtle, obstacles at the core of major institutions or systems throughout American society, which disproportionately impacts minority groups, specifically racial minorities.
Rebirth of Critical Race Theory
While grappling with the unknowns of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. also experienced a resurgence of broader social movements for substantial changes throughout society to get closer to a world with less injustices, among the movements is racism. Somewhere in the midst of this ongoing conversation, the discussion over Critical Race Theory was introduced to general society and sparked conversations about what Critical Race Theory is and whether it should be an approved curriculum in the education system. The controversy surrounding Critical Race Theory began bubbling after Manhattan Institute for Policy Research fellow Christopher Rufo began investigating anti-racism work training. After filing a Freedom
When we look critically at our history in general, that promotes a learning environment where students and adults are taught to question narratives that have been put in front of [them] their entire lives. Ryan Cole, history teacher
12 Feature • Critical Race Theory
of Information Act request, Rufo summarized his perspective in an article published in July 2020 in City Journal. Within the article, he explains he that feels the City of Seattle’s anti-racism curricula “endorses principles of segregation, group-based guilt and race essentialism.” Rufo’s published article in City Journal gained national support from others who felt they also had an issue with the anti-racism training at their own job. Across various anti-racism trainings, many cited the work of authors like Ibram Xolani Kendi and Robin DiAngelo are credited much of their outlooks on race to Derrick Bell and Kimberlé Crenshaw with roots in Critical Race Theory. Rufo continued to publish a variety of articles in City Journal as he received more and more information on the various approaches taken in antiracism training across the country. On Sept. 2, 2021, Rufo appeared on Fox’s primetime show “Tucker Carlson Tonight.” “Conservatives need to wake up. This is an existential threat to the United States. And the bureaucracy, even under Trump, is being weaponized against core American values. And I’d like to make it explicit: The President and the White House— it’s within their authority to immediately issue an executive order to abolish critical-race-theory training from the federal government. And I call on the president to immediately issue this executive order—to stamp out this destructive, divisive, pseudo-scientific ideology,” Rufo said on the show. While on the show, Rufo gave a three-minute monologue discussing the implications of current racial sensitivity and anti-racism training across the country. After his appearance on Fox, Rufo’s definition of Critical Race Theory continued to gain national attention. “I believe that, especially as a teacher of social studies, of history and of government, and even with my background as a debate teacher, I believe it’s important to look at multiple perspectives within the issue. So to say that I would teach one perspective at the exclusion of others, I think would be negative no matter what perspectives it is,” American history teacher Ryan Cole said. Critical Race Theory now serves as a major issue due to varying levels of comprehension, awareness and perspectives across the political spectrum. In a state news release issued on Dec. 15, 2021, Florida Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran said, “Our classrooms, students and even teachers are under constant threat by Critical Race Theory advocates who are attempting to manipulate classroom content into a means to impose one’s values on students, when instead schools should be empowering students with great, historically accurate knowledge and giving those students and their families the freedom to draw their own conclusions.” Many conservative politicians like former President Donald J. Trump have been outwardly against teaching Critical Race Theory in schools. Many dissenters of the theory believe that teaching it in schools creates a more divided society. This belief is fueled by the idea that Critical Race Theory classifies white people as “oppressors” and all Black people as “oppressed.” The theory instead uses history and current day politics, practices and events
Story continued on page 14
Design by Julia Landy
Tenets of Critical Race Theory
1
2 4
The first tenet explains that race is a “norm” in the U.S. for most people of color. The second tenet is known as “interest convergence.” Interest convergence is the idea that any advances made for people of color appear to birth change, but the changes that are made must satisfy the needs of the dominant white population.
3
The third tenet argues that race is not a biologically occurrence but is instead socially constructed.
5 6
The fifth tenet echoes the belief that a person can not be identified with one single group, but that identity overlaps and intersects.
The fourth tenet expresses the idea that minorities experience “differential rationalization.” This means that stereotypes of minorities shift over time.
The final tenet of Critical Race Theory explains that being a minority, grants a “presumed competence” to discuss race and racism. By having a presumed confidence, marginalized people can account for their ideas as well as introduce others to a different perspective.
Teacher Trends Survey reveals national educator opinions on Critical Race Theory in the classroom
+1T99 42 +58T 45 +55T +96T +47T 81 53 +19T 4 99%
42%
45%
want their classroom to be a healthy learning environment for all children
with whom they interact daily are students of color
of educators are in favor of CRT being an option for educators
53%
81%
4%
of educators expressed apprehension about saying the wrong thing regarding race
of educators think that curricula should include a diverse group of cultures
of respondents report being mandated or required to teach CRT at this time
Source: American Association of Educators
“
Critical Race Theory isn’t the actual problem [critics] have. If we break it down to it’s simplest parts, the problem is that people know racism is bad; we’ve done a really good job teaching that for decades now. The problem happens when people have to reckon with the fact that they’re actually complicit in racism. Critical Race Theory doesn’t target white folks as racist; it simply ask us all to take a deeper look at whether or not race plays a factor in why people are seemingly actually treated differently than others. Critical Race Theory asks and helps answer if racial discrimination exists. When that examination reveals that race is a factor in discrimination, we should do something about it rather than act like ostriches. And precisely because we’ve done such a good job teaching that ‘racism is bad,’ some people start to experience shame when they have to reckon with racism. For some folks, it honestly hurts to realize they’ve been complicit in racism, or they’re ashamed we haven’t gotten rid of racism, so they are anti-Critical Race Theory because they revert to denial. Other, outright racist, folks are not going to be ashamed, but they will blend in with and enable the ostrich folks. I’m not here to pathologize which type the anti-Critical Race Theory folks are because demanding that everyone stick their head in the sand means we can’t combat racism. Critical Race Theory is important because it actually helps us admit when we haven’t fulfilled the job of being a good American who lives American ideals like equity. Wouldn’t it be un-American to not ensure liberty and justice for all?” - Dr. Jacob Abraham, speech and debate teacher
Feature • Critical Race Theory 13
Design by Madison Lenard
Banning Critical race Theory Some states move to prevent Critical Race Theory from being taught in classrooms
Teaching CRT is banned Possible ban in progress No restriction Source: World Population Review
Story continued from page 12
those institutions,” English teacher Holly Van Tassel- In addition, an objective approach must be taken Schuster said. when teaching these topics. After highlighting major to explain how minorities are still impacted by topics as part of American history, the official notice racism. also references Critical Race Theory as a theory that “I teach many things in my class that are directly is not included in school curriculum as an effort to rooted in the Florida State Standards for American The varying reactions to Critical Race Theory has minimize distortion of history. History,” Cole said. “I think that when we look brought about many questions: What states allow In June 2021, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis directed critically at our history in general, that promotes a Critical Race Theory to be taught? Which states do the Florida Department of Education to ban any learning environment where students and adults are not? What exactly does the common Critical Race teaching of Critical Race Theory in the public school taught to question narratives that have been put in Theory material include? system. After a unanimous vote by Florida’s State front of [them] their entire lives.” A notice of change published by the Florida Board of Education, it became one of the largest The recent discussions of whether or not there is Department of Education on May 5, 2021 defines public state education systems to take this position. a place for Critical Race Theory in history curriculum Critical Race Theory as “the theory that racism is not On Dec. 15, 2021, DeSantis announced the Stop also sheds light on the fact that many Americans merely the product of prejudice, but that racism is the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees Act. Under are still unclear on the true principles of the theory. embedded in American society and its legal systems the proposed act, parents are granted the right to According to a Reuters national opinion survey, in order to uphold the supremacy of white persons.” “private right of action” to help enforce the state’s taken in July 2021, 57% of surveyed adults were Many scholars have contested the FLDOE’s definition ban in schools. This act would extend itself to unfamiliar with the term, and 22% of those familiar of Critical Race Theory. companies as well. If employees receive training on with the term were under the misconception that The FLDOE also outlines that teachers may not Critical Race Theory, they would have the right to Critical Race Theory is already being taught in most use material from the 1619 Project, an initiative sue the company or business. DeSantis’ proposal can public high schools across the country. Of those working to “reframe the country’s history by placing not be located within the state House or Senate. As familiar with the theory, 33% thought that Critical the consequences of slavery and the contributions of governor, DeSantis does not have the power to file Race Theory says that “white people are inherently Black Americans at the very center of our national or propose bills in either the state House or Senate. bad or evil” or that “discriminating against white narrative.” Lastly, the state outlined that American Some feel DeSantis’ proposal of the act serves as the people is the only way to achieve equality,” both of history must be exclusively defined as “of a new basis to create the idea that this act is in effect while which are false. nation based largely on universal principles stated in in all actuality, it does not exist. “[Critical Race Theory] has the word critical in the Declaration of Independence.” “I think it’s hypocritical for DeSantis to tell the title, which implies that it’s designed to provide The same notice explains that instruction must private companies that they can’t train people, a critique of society. So in a society where we can feature topics like the Holocaust, slavery, the Civil however they see fit to run their business, recognize that racism exists, and I think we can War and Reconstruction, the Civil Rights movement considering he believes in free market principles and recognize that it exists in the United States, then to and the contributions of women, African American private enterprise. What roles he wants to take with be critical of the institutions is a system of improving and Hispanic people that is supported with facts. regard to public education is part of his purview as
CRT in the Classroom
14 Feature • Critical Race Theory
Design Design by Haley by Julia Jackson Landy
Pending Proposals
A
s Critical Race Theory gains much attention across the country, a variety of bills have been proposed in the Florida House and Senate. The “Individual Freedoms” Republican House bill 7 and Senate Bill 148 do not specifically mention Critical Race Theory, but do explain a variety of beliefs that do not fall in line with their outlined
version of individual freedom. While not specifically mentioned, this bill works to explain many beliefs that directly contradict Critical Race Theory. In June of 2021, the Florida Department of Education banned the teaching of Critical Race Theory in classrooms. Florida House Bill 7 and Senate Bill 148 work to extend this ban outside of the classroom and into
House Bill 7 & Senate Bill 148
Florida legislators propose new bills related to equity
society. In contrast, Florida House Bill 221 and Senate Bill 388, both titled “Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion,” work to establish a definition of equity as well as establish an official office of diversity for the state of Florida. The addition of this office also requires a plan to promote diversity and inclusion that must be periodically updated or reviewed.
House Bill 221 & Senate Bill 388
These identical companion bills were filed by Representative Bryan Alvila (R-Miami) and Senator Manny Diaz (R-Miami) for the 2022 Florida legislative session
These identical companion bills were filed by Representative Tracie Davis (D-Jacksonville) and Senator Lori Berman (D-Boynton Beach) for the 2022 Florida legislative session
“No individual is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously, solely by virtue of his or her race or sex.”
“It is the intent of the Legislature that the office established under this act will work to end systemic racism; to fully realize equal opportunity as the bedrock of American society; to recognize diversity as one of this state’s greatest strengths; to promote equity, racial justice, and civil rights; to advance inclusivity and ensure fairness in executive decision making processes; to identify and work to redress racial inequities in agency policies and programs which serve as barriers to equal opportunity; and to assist Floridians
“Meritocracy or traits such as a hard work ethic are not racist but fundamental to the right to pursue happiness and be rewarded for industry.” “An individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, does not bear responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex.” “No race is inherently superior to another race.”
in reaching their full potential by advancing the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
If passed, the effective date for all bills is July 1, 2022
the governor of the state,” speech and debate teacher Dr. Jacob Abraham said. “I think that they are not pedagogically sound decisions. He doesn’t have any training in pedagogy, so I can understand why he might propose ideas that do not make sense in a larger educational landscape.” On Jan. 19, the Florida Senate Education Committee, which has a majority Republican makeup, advanced SB148, also called “Individual Freedom,” which was sponsored by Republican Senator Manny Diaz. The bill would not allow for legal recourse, but instead would allow for restricted conversations based on students or workers feeling “discomfort, guilt, anguish or any other form of psychological distress on account of his or her race, color, sex, or national origin.” The bill outlines that teachers would be allowed to discuss or address the effects on a person’s freedoms due to sexism, slavery, racial oppression, racial segregation and racial discrimination as well as the enactment of laws. However, teachers can not “indoctrinate or persuade students to a particular view point.” “I think that Critical Race Theory gives students a chance to really examine history in its raw form, allowing us to see where people went wrong in the past. It creates an environment of accountability and growth,” junior Noldine Belizaire said. In the Florida House of Representatives, companion bill HB0007 has been filed by Republican Representative Bryan Avila, also named Individual Freedom.
Critical Race Theory is currently banned in six other states: Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, New Hampshire, Oklahoma and Tennessee. While only a few states have official bans against teaching Critical Race Theory, 16 other states are currently working on bills to pass through the state legislature to ban teaching the theory in classrooms. As many states continue to work to ban the teaching of Critical Race Theory in classrooms, some question what specifically is banned. For example, some wonder if specifically teaching the theory using the theory, is banned or can teachers teach the aspects of the theory as long as they do not specifically reference the theory? Are some teachers going to stop teaching something that isn’t Critical Race Theory out of fear that it will be mistaken? Some also ask if the theory can be used to teach other aspects of the curriculum. For example, the Broward County Public Schools High School Debate 3 Honors curriculum standard LAFS.1112. RI.1.1 states “Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.” With many similar standards seen in other subjects, would assignment 30 pages of Critical Race Theory be allowed as reference material for teachers and students to work on other course standards? “I don’t know of a single educator across the country at a high school or lower level other than myself, that’s actually given actual Critical Race
Theory material to their students as an opportunity to learn from the authors of the concept, so it’s a moot point to ban something that no one’s teaching if I’m the only one that’s taught it,” Abraham said. In a survey of 364 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Students, 57% of students say they have no understanding of Critical Race Theory. Of the 57% who say they understand what Critical Race Theory is, 60% think Critical Race Theory should be taught in schools, 25% think Critical Race Theory should maybe be taught in schools and 13% do not think Critical Race Theory should be taught in schools. “There are people who think they’re teaching it that aren’t and are otherwise teaching history, which is fine, but if the attempt is to ban history is the goal, then we need to reckon with what it means to censor and sanitize or whitewash American history. Let’s have a conversation about that,” Abraham said. “Not whether or not racism exists, because it does, and whether or not we can critique the racism that exists in the system. To argue that those things don’t exist and shouldn’t be critiqued is to dehumanize the people who are the victims of racism.” With many across the county debating the place for Critical Race Theory in society, this discussion is ever-evolving as new perspectives come about. As time passes by, many people, political parties and elected officials continue to debate whether or not Critical Race Theory has a place in society. Only time will tell the fate of Critical Race Theory in classrooms, business training and other areas of society. Story by Haley Jackson
Feature • Critical Race Theory 15
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Students support ideologies across political spectrum
red,white Red,white and blue Kennedy Coleman
Brooke Baron
Between Libertarian and Republican
I “
align with [beliefs between Libertarian and Republican] because I support lowering taxes, free market capitalism, and I typically have conservative stances on most situations. The [issues] I tend to focus on most are how the Democratic Party is becoming more and more ‘woke,’ tending to pander to far-left ideology, also the politicization of the coronavirus. The current political climate is definitely wacky: COVID-based authoritarianism, incompetency and flat-out lunacy with our current president and vice president, both sides becoming less moderate. The mass media needs to stop pushing their agenda as well as shilling for Democrats and just tell the news how it is, remaining mostly moderate.
“ 12
Leftist
I “
mostly align with leftist ideologies because I feel that ‘the other side’ doesn’t do enough as far as getting people what they need; I feel like it’s all or nothing. I feel like the most important political issue would be healthcare, due to the amount of people that are dying currently, and they can’t get help because they don’t have healthcare, and it’s too expensive to get the things that they need. I follow different pages and read the news, sometimes I feel like an old lady for watching the news. Right now, there’s not much to comment on about the political climate. I feel like we need to take third parties more seriously in elections. People are like ‘don’t vote for a third party; you are wasting your vote,’ [but] I feel like if we did take third parties more seriously in elections at least it would be less toxic because only two parties are taken seriously.
“9
Andres Fuenmayor
“
I
Left-Leaning
identify with left-leaning mostly because of my experiences as a minority in America. My parents are immigrants from Venezuela, so they faced a lot of struggles and hardships to get where they are right now. Along with my friend’s experiences and based on the research that I’ve done, identifying with left leaning policies benefits more me and those I care about the most. I think the situation that’s happening between Ukraine and Russia with the possible invasion that may happen [is the most important political issue]. Due to the fact that Russia is bating the United Nations into beginning armed conflict and setting up situations, so it looks like they aim for sort of democratic and peaceful negotiation. If it’s handled poorly enough, it could scale to an international conflict. [I read] mainly the Associated Press and international resources like the UN. I try to stay away from main channels sources because they tend to push a narrative rather than actually provide information. I think far-right extremist view point that is being grown into America’s point of view, and it’s being seen as centrist; it is not a good thing I can guarantee you that. I would say politics is inherently a toxic environment, but there’s nothing we can do as of now. When you are able to register to vote and vote for you want in office, voting is a civil duty, you should vote as much as you can.
10 “
Addison Parker Moderate
I “
don’t believe in extremist views on either side, but I feel that with the combination of actual politics and human rights, I fall straight down the middle. I think everything with COVID-19 [is the biggest political issue], because it’s a widespread issue usually among education and jobs. I think it has more of an impact in a lot of things that we have seen especially since it’s something we are living through, I think that’s especially something that needs to be dealt with right now, and the requirements for each state, since they are all different I think they should all be unified agreement on what should be done over all. I see a lot of things from TikTok, but I don’t like the reliance of that, so I’m always checking newspaper articles, like the New York Times [and] Daily Wire to provide different political views but still giving the same information. I think overall [the government] is not where it needs to be; I think there are a lot of widespread problems with the current political climate. It’s not going to be a quick resolve issues but there need to be adjustments. I think overall less judgment of someone’s character because of their political beliefs with their personal character and their actual personal beliefs is a lot easier to hear people out and being able to have a fair conversation between two people who disagree, and it not turning into a fight and rather than just a conversation.
“
9
Feature • Political Viewpoints 17
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Walking with faith Religious beliefs influence students in variety of ways
Aamna Syed 10th Grade, Muslim
Aneesha Nookala 10th Grade, Hindu
“
“
My religion has given me a safe place if I need someone to go to and if I need advice.
My religion has influenced my daily activities because I go to the temple and celebrate different holidays. My religion has also influenced my upbringing because my parents would implement certain aspects of my religion into what they have taught me.
”
Tehzib Philip 11th Grade, Atheist
“
I would say that my lack of religion has influenced me as a person by making me be real with myself and my actions. I have always believed that what I was doing was my own will and action, so I become more aware of what I’m doing or what I might affect. My mother prays for my health and my success, but I would have to work hard to ensure that those happen not being able to leave it up to a sign of God.
Eldad Lerer 12th Grade, Jewish
“
My importance towards family is something that I have taken from Judaism because we observe the Sabbath. You don’t go on your phone, you don’t watch TV and you don’t drive anywhere. You are just with your family. I have this value for family, which I apply to my friendships as well. I will give you the same kind of love and attention I would give to my family. An aspect I have also learned is to not be judgmental of others because you don’t know what is going on behind closed doors.
”
”
Melissa Azzarito 9th grade, Christian
“
Religion has impacted my life by bringing me closer to my family. Coming together to celebrate holidays with them has always been very special as we cherish time spent together that we wouldn’t otherwise. This bonding is very important to me.
”
Tyler Rhenals 11th Grade, Buddhist
“
When you believe in a life based on having more positivity... exerting more positivity and just the law of attraction in general, it makes [life] way more serious to you [and] what the outcome of your causality of the human inertia of life, and just desire as a whole [is]. “The real beads... mala beads, are crafted by people [who] bless the beads... [there is] a certain number of beads that make it... authentic. Every time you count a certain bead on the necklace, you take a breath, and when you get to the end [of the necklace], that’s when you have done a whole meditation.
”
49+5+ 51+T 3+ 95+T 9+ 97+T 91+T 23+4+ 77+T 15+ 96+T 6+ 85+T 94+T
Sacred 49% 5% Statistics MSD student body holds diverse religious views according to a survey of 365 students
”
Christian
Muslim
23%
4%
Jewish
Hindu
3% Buddhist
9%
15%
6%
Atheist
Agnostic
Other
Feature • Religous Beliefs 19
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going viral
Volatility of TikTok videos leaves student to deal with online harassment
R
olling out of bed on the morning of June 7, senior Abby Marton checked her phone as she does every other morning; she looked at her text messages, emails and then at the popular social media platform TikTok. To both her excitement and dread, she had become an online sensation overnight, garnering to date 13.3 million views and 3.5 million likes from a TikTok that her friend, David Prengler, posted with no intention of going viral. The subject of the video is Prengler’s apparent affection for Marton, and how a relationship between them was being prevented by Marton’s sexual orientation as a lesbian. The video was posted as a joke. Regardless, the video went viral. It managed to net about 2.7 million views when it was reposted on Dec. 16, 2021, and 122.9 thousand views when a follow-up video stating that Marton was “unfortunately still a lesbian” was posted on Dec. 18, 2021. The effects of the 15-second clip have been major, especially
on Marton’s end, as she had to close her comment section due to the amount of online harassment she received because of the video. “I had a lot of people online tell me that I was just choosing my sexuality for attention as well people telling me it was just a phase and that I should give [David Prengler] a chance. I had to delete and disable many of my comments,” Marton said. Harassment is a known risk anyone takes when they post anything on the internet. At any moment, an idea can be seen by the wrong people, taken out of context or judged unfavorably, resulting in a wave of criticism from strangers online. Prengler’s post was not spared from this phenomenon, and he has received criticism from many in his comment section for making Marton uncomfortable, necessitating a follow-up video. “Some people in the comments got mad because they thought [Prengler] was making me uncomfortable by claiming that he likes me, but we made another video clarifying that he wasn’t and that it was just a joke,” Marton said. As a result of the video, Marton
has received an influx of people in her comments section, at school and in person questioning her sexuality. She reported that people would come up to her or her friends and attempt to decipher whether or not she was actually gay. “The entire situation made me feel invalidated, but also extremely frustrated that these ways of thinking are still so prevalent,” Marton said. “Since I’m young and tend to dress relatively feminine, I’ve found that people who don’t know me often dismiss or reject my sexuality and ask me things like ‘Are you really sure?’ or ‘How do you know it’s not just a phase?’ Since comments like those don’t usually come from my immediate circle, the TikTok [video] has really opened my eyes to just how prevalent homophobia is outside of our small Parkland bubble.” The individuals that were attempting to judge whether or not Marton was gay were either curious or attempting to play matchmaker, both of which made her uncomfortable. Marton consented to having the TikTok video posted publicly, but she did not consent to the frequent questioning of her sexual preference. What happened to Marton opens an interesting discussion on the snowball
L G BT Q I A + 1 3
effect the internet has on people’s lives. With just one post that was not even from her own account, Marton was subjected to defending her identity from a group of individuals that had not understood that the clip was a joke. With just one post, a key part of her life was put under intense scrutiny and a very personal portion of her life was forced out repeatedly. Luckily, Marton came out of the situation whole and safe, but her circumstance still goes to show that even a relatively harmless joke on the internet can cause unintended harm. “I’d be lying if I said I don’t have a certain amount of resentment towards the [individuals questioning my sexual identity], but I also know that their misconceptions are a product of their own environment and the way they have been raised to think,” Marton said. “A lot of people may have been taught that being gay is wrong from a religious standpoint, and it’s hard to blame them for their upbringing. For that reason, I don’t get mad at the miseducated comments and instead aim to inform them in my responses.” Story by Ethan Flores Rothmund; photo illustration by Julia Landy and Mariajose Vera
in
Men whose sexual orientation is geared toward those of the same gender
Women whose sexual orientation is geared toward those of the same gender
Those whose gender identification deviates from their assigned sex at birth
People whose sexual orientation is geared toward those of the same and opposite genders
People who are born with chromosome patterns, hormones, or other physical features that deviate from the binary norm
People who self-identify with a gender or sexual orientation that deviates from heteronormativity
+48T 43 52 +57T
LGBTQIA+ youth reported being bullied in person
Includes all other existing genders and sexual identities
People who do not feel sexual attraction to others
52%
of LGBT+ students reported being bullied
43%
reported being bullied online
Source: The Trevor Project
Feature • Online Harassment 21
Pep in Her Step. Senior Layla Ali performs alongside the MSD step team in the freshmen and sophomore pep rally on Friday, Sept. 17, 2021, First inspired to join the step team by her mom, Ali is now the captain of the team. Photo by Kelly
Cooke
MSD step team captain Layla Ali honors her mom’s legacy
O
Step By Step
ne step at a time? Not for senior Layla Ali who juggles being a student, performer and step team captain, all while holding up her mother’s legacy. Performing at functions like pep rallies, Multicultural and Black History shows, as well as competing in local competitions, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School step team, known as Legends/Ladies of Destiny to students and staff, is highly anticipated at every school event. These performances could not be achieved, however, without the help of their hardworking captain. Legends/Ladies of Destiny is an organization where students with an intense passion for step have the opportunity to express themselves and their pride for their school through the use of their hands, feet and mouth. Aside from increasing student awareness and pride, Legends/Ladies of Destiny is most
“
notable for its ability to bring a new type of diversity to school events and traditions. Though now a senior, Ali developed a profound love for the step team during her freshman year of high school. “My freshman year, I was completely insecure and was not confident in anything I did. But having those bonds with those girls really helped me get that confidence and realize that I can actually do really well, and that I can dance and I can step and be the best stepper that I could be,” Ali said. However, Ali was not just any regular member her freshman year. Layla’s mother, Mona Eustache, and her friends started the MSD step team when they were in high school in 1996, making Layla a highly regarded step legacy. “In middle school, I really wanted to be a part of something that was majority Black people and Black women. My mom
Being able to be a part of things with other Black women and being able to bond with them and having that type of sisterhood is what I live for. Layla Ali, 12
22 Feature • Student Profiles
used to tell me all the time about how she started the step team in her high school,” Ali said. “She said when I got to high school, I could just join the step team that they had when she was there.” This has not always proven to be an easy task for Ali. While the idea of following in her mom’s footsteps provides her with motivation, it has also caused some stressful moments during her experience. On top of choreographing routines and leading practices three days a week, upholding the legacy of the step team has placed a strain on Ali at times. Yet overall, the experience has proven to be worth it. “It has been a lot of stress and pressure in many ways, but overall, it is going smoothly, and I wouldn’t replace it for anything in the world because I honestly love being the step captain,” Ali said. Though she describes being captain as an emotional and exciting experience with a bunch of bumpy roads along the way, Ali does not regret her role on the step team, as she now loves her team members as if they are her own family. “Every one of [my team members] honestly knows they can talk to me whenever and they do,” Ali said. “I love them so much, and I’m so glad to have those new girls and the girls I’ve been making memories with already beside me and helping me become the best captain I can be for the team.” By talking with some of the girls on the team, it becomes evident that they feel the same way about their captain. “I love having Layla as a captain
because she knows when to be a captain and when to be a friend. She is really compassionate but also knows how to discipline us so that we show up to practice and do our best,” senior Maegan Pierre said. To someone on the outside, the step team may just appear to be an average after school club, to Ali and many others on the team, it has established itself as a fortified sisterhood. This community has not only helped Ali discover her confidence, but has also acted as a support group composed of strong Black women like herself. “Being a Black woman is honestly hard enough in itself, so being able to be a part of things with other Black women and being able to bond with them and having that type of sisterhood is what I live for,” Ali said. As Ali will soon graduate, she plans on handing over the team to her co-captain, junior Roveschney Veillard. She does so with full faith that the team will continue to maintain its high-esteemed reputation even after she is gone. However, this is not the end of the road for Ali in terms of participating in a group that is larger than herself. In college, Ali plans on becoming part of a historically Black sorority such as Alpha Kappa Alpha or Delta Sigma Theta in order to recreate the sisterhood that she has found within the step team. Layla looks forward to once again being with a group of people who understand her and her experiences as a Black woman. Story by Abby Marton
Design by Ivy Lam
Striking for success
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trike three! As catcher Santiago Ordonez stands behind the plate, the Eagles are one out away from winning the state championship. Ordonez catches the pitch, and it’s a final strike for the Eagles. Ordonez has been on the varsity baseball team for four years. He finished strong last season, playing 30 games, batting .398, .514 on-base percentage, .663 slugging 108 plate appearances, 83 at-bats, 8 runs, 33 hits, 38 runners batted in, 8 extra base hits (6 doubles and 2 triples) and 4 home runs. Ordonez plans to lead the 2022 team to back-to-back state championships. Ordonez was first inspired to play baseball from his family. He grew up around a family that carried a strong passion for the game. Ordonez began his baseball career at 3 years old, playing in a T-ball league in Margate, Florida. This love for baseball led him to play his first competitive game in a travel baseball league for the Coconut Creek Hawks. This travel team gave him the opportunity for a fun challenge against many other cities. “[Travel baseball] was really fun because that was the first time I saw kids that loved to play just as much as I did,” Ordonez said. Despite Ordonez’s success in little league, the real test did not come until he turned 14. At this point, many college scouts were actively attending his games.
He knew that he had the ability to show off his skills and take his game to the next level. “Santi has always been a hard worker, I think it just comes with leadership and he is definitely a leader on the team,” shortstop Devin Fitz-Gerald (9) said. “He works hard on and off the field and it shows as he puts work in the weight room.” In order to get noticed by these scouts, Ordonez started working on his game six to seven times a week. While practicing Ordonez worked on hitting and fielding, but most importantly speed and agility. Ordonez plays baseball because of his love of the game. He enjoys the fact that you have to play as a team, and work together in order to succeed. “I love the aspect of the game and how not one player can change the game and how it’s a team effort to win the game,” Ordonez said. “It is such a competitive sport.” As a catcher, Ordonez is essentially in charge of each play. He gives the pitcher a strong suggestion on which pitch should be thrown and where. “My favorite part of being a catcher is that you’re always controlling the field and managing the game with your pitcher,” Ordonez said. Ordonez has to control the game behind the plate, but he also has to succeed while at-bat. Ordonez is able
to do so by being a reliable hitter. He is also known by his teammates for clutching up at crucial spots in the game. “I think the best part about his game is his offensive ability,” second baseman Jacob Herzberg (5) said. “He proved this by sending the team to states with a walk off home run last year.” Baseball is very important to Ordonez; however, he also has an active social life. He feels that throughout his high school career, he has been very successful at managing baseball, school, working out and spending time with friends. All of Ordonez’s hard work throughout the past few seasons has led to him being able to compete at the next level. He was getting recruited by some top schools in the country. After pondering his options, Ordonez chose to attend Florida State University. “The other colleges I had interest in were Vanderbilt and UCF, but FSU felt like home as the coaches welcomed me very well,” Ordonez said.
Handful of hobbies
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ymbolizing vigilance and dignity, the bright red dragon soars through the air. Embodying cultural mythology, the dragon dance plays a big role in Chinese culture. Behind the cloth and dramatic movements of the performance is a team of dancers who work to bring the routine together. Senior Jayden Adjodha learned dragon dancing to understand the beauty of Chinese culture. Adjodha has a diverse family which has allowed him to experience many cultures. His father’s side of the family originates from India and France which has allowed him to learn part of the French language. He was eager to learn more about Chinese culture after discovering more about his mother’s side of the family. During his sophomore year, he began learning Mandarin through attending classes at the Coral Springs Chinese Culture Association. After attending lessons, Adjodha found an interest in dragon dance, a traditional dance in Chinese culture, leading him towards a new hobby. His classmates reached out offering him a spot on their competitive team for a performance at a Chinese New Year festival. The team produced a routine that they would practice together once a week in preparation for the competition “The whole opportunity was almost eye opening, where a lot of times were kind of cut off from various cultures,” Adjodha said. “[The competition] offered
me the opportunity to see things in a different way and experience things that I wouldn’t have experienced otherwise.” Adjodha also fulfills a busy schedule inside of school. Throughout the four years he has attended MSD, debate has played a large role in his daily life. In association with debate, he participates in both the Speech and Debate club as well as the Model UN club. After unexpectedly stumbling upon the program in seventh grade, his love for debate grew rapidly. As Adjodha entered high school he took on the role as a public forum captain, where he taught other MSD students debate skills. When debating, Adjodha takes preference in topics revolving around trending news topics, such as welfare programs and climate change. He enjoys these topics that bring varying perspectives and impacts. “I have a lot of fun talking; my favorite thing to always talk about is stuff that is relevant in the news,” Adjodha said. Since entering high school, Adjodha has found a sense of family through his peers in debate. The class has enabled him to build several friendships, which have stuck with him through the years. “When you get to work with people you experience both the highs and the lows,” Adjodha said. “At the end of the day, you get an appreciation for people that is stronger than a lot of friendships.” While Adjodha never had any prior
Senior Santiago Ordonez eyes back-to-back state championship Stepping Up to the Plate. Catcher Santiago Ordonez loads his back swing before hitting a ball during a home scrimmage. This game was one of the many events held in varsity baseball fall preseason in preparation for the spring season. Photo by
Zoe Payton
Ordonez’s idol is catcher Salvador Perez from the Kansas City Royals. “My favorite [player] would have to be Salvador Perez because he can do it both on the offensive side and defensive side,” Ordonez said. After college, Ordonez hopes to play baseball professionally. “Post-college I hope to pursue the MLB draft,” Ordonez said. “My dream MLB team would be the [Florida] Marlins because they are my favorite and hometown team.” These MLB dreams would easily fulfill his dreams; however, right now he has to focus on what’s in front of him. Ordonez has his last high school season coming up this spring. Story by Ryan Shimony
Senior Jayden Adjodha balances dragon dance and debate
interest or desire to be in debate, trying something new led him towards developing a great passion. Having an open mind to test out different topics has allowed him to attempt unfamiliar activities. “I think it’s important that if you find something you enjoy doing; it’s important to stay dedicated and stay committed to it,” Adjodha said. After school hours, Adjodha works at Code Ninjas located in Coral Springs. He has incorporated his enjoyment for coding into his job where he spends his shifts teaching children the basics of code through game building. “I do feel that I enjoy working with kids and teaching them,” Adjodha said. “I think with teaching, as long as you’re passionate about it, right, you’ll enjoy telling others about it.” Maintaining his time with both school and a job are difficult to balance, but Adjodha has acquired the ability to stay organized inside and outside of school. “You have to know when you’re available, you can’t just force yourself to be available at times,” Adjodha said. “Once you understand that, then it becomes a lot more smooth and free flowing.” With Adjodha graduating in the upcoming spring, he has begun applying to a variety of colleges in the Northeast, including Cornell University, New York University, Northwestern University, Emory University, Columbia University
and Yale University. “I really love the northeast; I love the region that a lot of those schools have the types of majors and graduate programs that I’m looking for,” Adjodha said. Throughout his experiences in debate and different clubs, Adjodha has discovered a passion for law. He plans to attend law school following the completion of his undergraduate degree. He is currently waiting on his decision into his dream school, Cornell University, where he hopes to study law. Story by Bailey Carter and Madison Friedman; portrait by Mariajose Vera
Feature • Student Profiles 23
Sari, Not Sorry
Zaveri’s love for dance and her outgoing personality led her to participate in the Bollywood dance number at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School’s Freshman Preesha Zaveri discovers passions for Multicultural Night. As a part of the MSD Indian Student Association, her group put dance and volunteering within her Hindu culture on a performance for students, faculty and able to try it out,” Zaveri said. “I ended up the public to enjoy. very individual has their own really liking the teachers and the people unique culture, developed from “If I didn’t have dance and the countries our ancestors come around me, so I continued classes up until Bharatanatyam, I wouldn’t be as culturally now.” from, traditions passed down connected to my roots as I am now,’’ For one hour every Wednesday, generations and religions people follow. Zaveri said. “Dancing with everybody One student in particular incorporates her she practices the traditional dance at and learning new steps in the school culture in the dance studio and within her her instructor’s in-home studio. This production was nice, and the process of it challenging style of dance involves many all was really fun to do with my friends.” daily activities. intricate steps that require practice, For freshman Preesha Zaveri, culture Aside from Bharatanatyam, Zaveri has critiques and recommendations from is more than a characteristic of her a passion for volunteering, specifically heritage. It is a part of her that is present friends to further improve her technique. through her temple, Shri Swaminarayan “If I ever get a step wrong, I have a in everyday life, whether it is through Mandir, located in Boynton Beach. There, lot of people and support around me,” expressive dance or volunteering. With she actively participates in walk-a-thons, Zaveri said. “The friends that I made parents from India, Zaveri has found harvest drives and other events that work different ways to express herself through in Bharatanatyam are from other parts towards specific causes. of India, so it is really cool getting to religion and has discovered multiple “Our walk-a-thon this year is aimed learn about their individual cultures and towards raising money for our goal, which cultural passions. traditions.” “My culture is such a big part of me is to plant trees all around the world,” Zaveri works every year to prepare for Zaveri said. and literally makes me who I am today,” a recital at the end of every dance season. Zaveri said. “You can make a lot of really Wanting to be involved in her temple, For the recital, which takes place in June, Zaveri went door-to-door asking for walkgood friends through culture, like some of my long-time and closest friends I met she dresses traditionally in vibrantly a-thon donations. She feels passionate colored garments, called a sari. On her through my temple.” towards the project to grow trees and hands, she wears henna, a dye prepared Zaveri, who is Hindu, found herself wants to contribute as much as she can. from plants that is drawn in elegant enthralled by Bharatanatyam, a form of Zaveri also has passions that lie beyond designs, which is shown off during hand Indian classical dance that originated in her culture. At school, she is an active movements in Bharatanatyam. the region of Tamil Nadu. Her interest member of Key Club and DECA. Aside from “We also use a lot of facial expressions school, she enjoys playing tennis at the in the dance came about when she was 6 in the dance, so the way we do our years old after she had previously taken Coral Springs Tennis Center. makeup relates to the emotion,” Zaveri ballet classes. “I went to an informational meeting “My mom’s friends had kids who were said. “For example, if we want our eyes to for the school tennis team,” she said. “I’m tell a story, we do our eyeliner a specific doing Bharatanatyam, so she took me going to try out, and I hope that I make it way so that they pop.” to an introductory meeting where I was on the team.”
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Junior Damian Francis pursues art and music
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state of the art
o junior Damian Francis, art and music are more than just leisure. They are the ways in which he expresses himself and the means by which he “documents his life.” For nearly his entire life, Francis’ mother has been a huge inspiration to him. As someone with talents in the fields of art and music, he has always looked up to her. Throughout his childhood and continuing into his high school years, he would often ask her to play him songs on the guitar. For them, it was a way of bonding with one another. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Francis found passion and inspiration in playing the instrument himself. Having been an avid listener to his mother’s playing for many years, he took his newfound free time as an opportunity to ask his mother to teach him the guitar, and he immediately fell in love with the instrument. Not long after, Francis’ mother enrolled him in the School of Rock. Though he has only been with them for one season, Francis has already established a sense of belonging. This past December, he had the opportunity to sing and play guitar in the School of Rock’s Micheal Jackson performance. Working with other student musicians like himself, he has been able to expand his horizons and make new friends. “I love that there’s a community, and I’ve been able to connect with people at
24 Feature • Student Profiles
Zaveri is constantly pushing herself towards greater achievements. Over the summer, she took an online course on epidemiology and infectious diseases through Duke University. “I have interest in the medical field, so I want to take more courses and involve myself in things that relate to what I want to do when I’m older,” Zaveri said. In the future, she dreams of going to medical school and becoming a doctor. In the meantime, Zaveri is working hard to raise money to plant trees around the world and hopefully get her classmates involved. By finding ways to express herself, Zaveri has found a passion for Bharatanatyam, lifelong friends and an appreciation for her culture and religion. Story by Jessie Gesund; portrait by Mariajose Vera
school as well,” Francis said. “I just really like the vibes, and I enjoy being able to learn in a very accepting and very open environment.” Though his taste in music is everchanging, Francis finds himself mostly drawn to early 2000s music, including artists such as Weezer and Muse. His developing taste has transformed the way that he listens to songs. Instead of simply listening to a song and memorizing lyrics, he listens to the rifts and is able to pick out how the guitar sounds, allowing him to recreate those same melodies on the acoustic guitar. Though he lives the busy life of a high school student, Francis makes sure to play at least once a week because he understands the importance of indulging in hobbies. “I am my own inspiration when it comes to the guitar; I just want to play what I enjoy listening to,” Francis said. “Everything I do with my art and my guitar is all for me: things that I enjoy and things that I want to create. When it comes to art it’s very much a way for me to express myself, to tell my story almost, to document my life. “ Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, Francis has had the opportunity to engage with other musicians online. Their input allows him to develop as an artist through collaboration. “I’ve actually started finding other
people who like the guitar within my friend group already and we’ve just been collaborating a lot,” Francis said. Though he doesn’t write lyrics, Francis does enjoy writing lines of music for the guitar. Currently, he is working with friends of his who write lyrics to create his own songs. Not only is Francis a passionate singer and guitar player, but he is also a visual artist. Like the guitar, his inspiration for drawing also largely stems from his mother. When he was younger, she always used to draw for him. Taking after her, he started sketching at 4 years old, but in middle school around the age of 12, Francis became more serious about his artwork. He uses his artwork as a way to engage with his feelings and express himself, often designing his own characters. It is through his hobbies that he has been able to develop as a person and express his feelings. “Having hobbies is a fantastic coping mechanism for anybody who struggles with mental health issues,” Francis said. “Just having something that you enjoy and can look forward to is absolutely life changing. Being able to—if you feel down—just start doing something you love, it’s great.” Ultimately, Francis’ pursuit of artwork has positively impacted his mental health. Any negative energy he has can be released therapeutically through drawing.
It is a way for him to express his mood, self-perception and struggles. Just like his music, his style of art is ever-evolving. “My art changes alongside my perception of myself; it’s most obviously seen in the way I draw myself, with portraiture shifting from the feminine to the androgyny to the masculine,” Francis said. “I’m always drawing, really, and my drawings reflect what I feel when the pen hits the paper.” As Francis builds a collection of new life experiences, he tells his story through art and music. From his artwork, he has created a means of self-reflection, and from his music, he has discovered a community of people he is able to connect with. His pursuits of art and music have helped Francis develop a broader connection to both himself and his community. Story by Julia Landy; photo by Mariajose Vera
Design by Reece Gary
Persevering Through a Pandemic Through a Pandemic
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arly mornings for training, late nights for practices, sidelining knee injuries and the COVID-19 pandemic—these sacrifices and setbacks are enough to make anyone quit. Yet, sophomore Kyra Tuesta battles through it all when it comes to playing soccer. Tuesta’s determination to continue playing opened up new doors to exclusive competitions and programs. Tuesta, who grew up playing and watching soccer, was part of an Olympic Development Program for Florida and currently plays for the MSD women’s varsity soccer team as a center-attacking midfielder or forward. The United States Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program works to identify talented players that could increase the success of the national teams in the international arena, including at the Olympic Games. Tuesta’s selection as part of the program is an indicator to both her natural talent and how much she has practiced over the span of her lifetime. “My whole family is a soccer family, so you just get put into it [at a young age],” Tuesta said. “I’m second-generation because my family emigrated from Peru. In South American culture, soccer is a big thing. From a young age, my dad would kick around [the ball] with me and he saw I was not bad. I got put into rec at the age of 6.” The push from her family has clearly paid off, as she has competed in several
elite competitions, including the 2018 Disney World Futsal Championship and the 2019 Disney 3v3 National Championship. “I’m in the Youth National Team pool for the country,” Tuesta said. “Just because of COVID[-19], everything got delayed until this year.” The Youth National Team player pool created by the U.S. Soccer’s Talent Identification program, which scouts talented young soccer players with the potential to play for the United States’ Youth National Teams. The scouting network allows U.S. Soccer to grow the Youth National Team player pool. The ultimate goal is to ensure a bright future for U.S. Soccer. Players in the Youth National Team pool first play in a regional tournament, which is divided up into east, west and south. Tuesta is in the southern region and played soccer in Texas for a week. If players make it through the regional tournament, they advance to the next tournament, where all regions are combined. The final competition is when players are further eliminated. The players remaining travel and represent U.S. Soccer. Pandemic-related delays were only one of the struggles Tuesta has faced the past two years. In particular, Tuesta had tendinitis in her knees and was injured for a large part of 2021. Being unable to exercise, particularly during the summer,
was a huge setback for her. “Everyone had really high expectations of me, and I was previously injured for the whole year,” Tuesta said. “It’s been really on and off with my knees. I feel like I haven’t shown my full potential yet, which is a little disappointing.” Tuesta has high hopes that she will be able to show exactly what she can do with a month and a half remaining of the soccer season and her remaining two years at MSD now that she is healthy and fully recovered from her injuries. Tuesta’s easing back into her training routine before her injury, which included conditioning before school, school practices, club practices and in the gym. Currently, she’s taking her training more lightly to prevent another injury, attending practices and training on her own at the park or by playing with her friends. However, some things will be different. Tuesta dropped club soccer because her next two years of high school involve college recruitment. Tuesta’s dream schools include Duke University and University of California, Los Angeles, and she hopes to attend law school if soccer does not work out. Tuesta’s ultimate goal is to play on the U.S. Women’s National Soccer team. She credits her dream to the soccer teams she has played on. “I used to play with boys a few years ago, so seeing all age groups and girls
Taking the Field. Forward Kyra Tuesta (14) prepares to kick the ball down field after intercepting it from the opposing Nova High School offense. The Eagles went on to win the game 12-0 on their senior night.
Photo by Mariajose Vera
Sophomore Kyra Tuesta juggles injuries, school and soccer
made me feel really welcomed,” Tuesta said. “It made me want to be part of a team.” Tuesta navigates this dream of becoming a professional soccer player as a woman of color, an identity typically underrepresented in soccer, according to Erica L. Ayala, a sportswriter that was vocal in her 2019 article about how the U.S. Women’s National soccer team has a long way to go in having a diverse team, though Tuesta appreciates that MSD’s varsity team is diverse. Tuesta carries the hope that if she makes it to the U.S. Women’s National Soccer team, she will inspire young girls of color and of her same ethnicity. “There’s very few to no people of my color and ethnicity, so I feel like [me being a professional soccer player as a woman of color] would inspire a lot of people,” Tuesta said. Tuesta does not participate in any extracurriculars because soccer is her main focus. However, she wishes she had time to participate in the school newspaper. “If I’m still enjoying soccer [in ten years], I would hope I’m playing abroad in Italy or something,” Tuesta said. “If not, I would hope I made it through law school and just be happy.” While it is unknown where Tuesta will be in 10 years, she’s certain the world has not yet seen the full extent of her capabilities. Story by Brynn Schwartz
Feature • Student Profiles 25
Ready to Roll. Freshman Sathvik Sarathy prepares to race in the KA100 national competition in Las Vegas, which was held in December 2021. Sarathy’s success in local competitions allowed him to advance to the larger stage for his racing. Photo
courtesy of Sathvik Sarathy
fast lane C living in the
art No. 830 turns the corner of the track, sliding past the others at top speed. As the race comes to its final lap, cart No. 830 continues to go faster and faster, ultimately gaining a significant lead. With the final checkered flag waving in the air, 830 flies by the finish line to win the race. When the cart comes to a stop, Sathvik Sarathy steps out, celebrating a tremendous victory. Sarathy, a freshman, has already solidified himself as a veteran KA100 driver, which involves racing in openwheel karts with advanced engines and
they all started in karts,” Sarathy said. “I’ve always wanted to race too, so I started doing research on it and found there was a track about a half hour away from where I live, so I decided to go there and see what they did.” Just two years ago, Sarathy entered his first race in the KA100 division at the Homestead-Miami speedway. This would become his home track, as its close proximity allowed it to become a host for many of Sarathy’s practices and local competitions. Since then, Sarathy has worked consistently to grow his skills in the sport,
Freshman Sathvik Sarathy grows into nationally successful KA100 kart driver
leagues. His biggest idol is Brazilian racer Ayrton Senna, who’s unique and fast style of driving allowed him to become one of the most dominant racers of his time. “My idol is a Formula 1 driver in the 1990’s called Ayrton Senna. He would take everything to the extreme, like going as fast as he could every lap during the race even though he didn’t need to,” Sarathy said. “The way he drove was really special to see, because he would almost always be the fastest.” During his races, Sarathy takes heavy inspiration from Senna’s style of racing, as he always makes the extra effort to go as fast as possible. Over time, this inspiration has allowed Sarathy to obtain valuable life skills, such as persistence and diligence. Dedicated on a path towards racing success, Sarathy has achieved numerous accomplishments during his racing career. His first big accomplishment occurred in August 2021, in which he achieved his first podium placing in a Homestead competition. Since that significant race, Sarathy has consistently earned his place on podiums throughout the nation. Traveling across the nation has become one of Sarathy’s most prized mechanical makeups. With lots of practice and his dedication shaped him into the successful racer that he is today. As part of accomplishments as well. Starting in and dedication, Sarathy has become local competitions at the Homestead extremely successful in his competitions. his exemplary work ethic, Sarathy heads track, Sarathy has worked his way up to to the Homestead track nearly every At a young age, Sarathy grew a keen competitions on a national level. These weekend to continue making progress in interest in racing. When he decided that races have brought him to some of his his racing career. the exciting sport was something worth Sarathy did not grown a strong interest favorite tracks, such as famous racetracks taking up, he looked into becoming a in Daytona and Las Vegas. in racing on a whim, however. Growing racer himself. However, the argument could be made up, Sarathy was inspired by many “I’ve liked cars for as long as I can that Sarathy’s biggest accomplishment remember, and I started to watch Formula esteemed race car drivers throughout was the lessons that racing has taught him worldwide Formula 1 competitions and One at 12. I saw how they got to F1, and
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Racing has taught me that being with a team and having people behind you is what gets you to be successful . Sathvik Sarathy, 9
26 Feature • Student Profiles
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along the way, those of which have only made him into an even better racer. “Racing has taught me that being with a team and having people behind you is what gets you to be successful,” Sarathy said. “Typically, the best drivers are with the best teams.” Additionally, the lessons that racing taught Sarathy have allowed him to become not only a better racer, but a better student and person. “I have gotten a bit more disciplined because of racing. It could be something as simple as making it to the event on time, following the rules when driving, and not letting emotions get to me,” Sarathy said. With all the many positive experiences that racing has brought to Sarathy’s life, he is also aware that racing KA100 cars comes at a high and dangerous risk. Nonetheless, Sarathy’s experienced handling of the cars have allowed for his safety and success on the track. “This type of racing isn’t like the ones you’d find at Boomers. These are real machines that take skill to drive and maintain. They have serious consequences if you crash,” Sarathy said. Sarathy continues to race frequently and consistently to hone his skills, ultimately shaping himself into one of the best racers of his division in the nation. With his countless experiences, exceptional work ethic, and many life skills under his belt, Sarathy looks forward to zooming past his competition for years to come. Story by Reece Gary; portrait by Mariajose Vera
Design by Julia Landy
Crafting costumes
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ealing, sewing, woodwork, painting and sculpting are some of the skills adults struggle to acquire. However, these are only some of the many skills senior Angela Guiso possesses. She assembles costumes as a hobby or when she gets stressed with school. Guiso has created fantasy costumes and accessories, such as dragon masks, angels, bird wings and swords. She has also made a mechanical automail arm from the anime series “Fullmetal Alchemist.” “The process of figuring out how to bring a concept from a piece of media into reality makes the whole experience more tangible and immersive,” Guiso said. Guiso has acquired multiple hobbies over the years, like drawing, reading, writing, playing piano, sculpting clay and painting. The scale and quality of her projects grew as her skills improved, so making costumes was a natural escalation from where she started. Her interest in costume-making began roughly six years ago, where she assembled a life-size pair of articulated wings. Guiso’s projects emerge when she feels inspired, usually from whatever fandom she has interest in at any given moment. When Guiso was younger, she struggled with low self-esteem. Her first big project was life-size, wearable and movable bird wings to prove to herself that she had valuable traits. The wings were inspired by a web comic called “Homestuck,” an internet fiction series created by American
author and artist Andrew Hussie. This project motivated Guiso to continue making costumes, slowly improving them as her skills grew. Guiso uses costume making as a stress reliever when she is feeling tired or overwhelmed. When she begins to experience exhaustion from studying she reverts to crafting to take a break. “I live life to accomplish my goals and work hard, so both school and my personal projects exist for this purpose,” Guiso stated. “I live to create.” Even though Guiso engages herself into costume making, she does not sell them. She has expressed that she will never make art professionally or put them up for sale. “I put a lot of my soul into my projects, so putting a material value on them to sell would strip me of this act of loving selfindulgence,” Guiso said. To make costumes, Guiso first chooses a reasonable concept and searches up others’ attempts at the project in the past. Then, she drafts the idea on paper to better conceptualize it, tweaks her plan of action and prepares for any issues that may arise. Once Guiso chooses and acquires the materials she needs, she gets right to making the costume and responding to the various challenges that arise. Guiso has also developed many skills on the fly, such as sealing, woodworking, sewing and general engineering. These skills are very important for the art of costume making so she has progressed in
Holy Henna!
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ccording to Pew Research, only 60% of Americans know what Ramadan is, and even less have heard of Eid al-Fitr. Considering more than 1.6 billion people celebrated Eid last year alone, it might be time to dust off the Quran and take a history lesson. Eid is one of the most widely celebrated holidays in the Muslim community, as it marks the end of Ramadan, a month-long holiday that requires fasting from dawn until dusk. For sophomore Manahil Kashif, it was the catalyst that led to her making hundreds of dollars in just four months. Kashif grew up in a Pakistani family and was raised as a Muslim woman. As such, her family was very in touch with their religion and took pride in practicing many traditions that linked them to their culture. A particular tradition that stuck with her was Mehndi, commonly known as “henna.” “Every Eid, we would use henna tattoos to decorate our hands,” Kashif said. “My mom would always do it for me, and I loved how cool it was and how long it stayed on.” Henna is a temporary tattoo that is made using ink that sits only on the surface of the skin, instead of piercing it the way a regular tattoo would normally do. Made from the henna plant, it has unique staining properties which leaves an orange stain behind on skin and is applied via a piping bag. It has been
Senior Angela Guiso applies her skills to assemble fantasy costumes
her skill set. Even though Guiso enjoys costumemaking, there are still many struggles that come with it. Part of the challenge is balancing price, beauty and practicality in her creations. She uses materials from around her house, like used clothes, paints, clay, plastic scraps and cardboard containers as it’s cheaper and more sustainable. However, if needed, Guiso purchases materials from stores. Guiso aspires to create costumes incorporate Thai culture as she is halfThai and half-Italian. She appreciates her heritage and engages in celebrating its cultural components on a daily basis. “Since my home is my cultural touchstone, it is the hearth to my traditions,” Guiso said. At her house, her mother speaks Thai, cooks Thai food and practices the religion of Buddhism, which is predominant in Thailand. She has also traveled to Thailand and visited many Buddhist temples. Thailand is known for its diverse foods, martial arts and selection of temples. However, Guiso believes that the culture is not portrayed and talked about in American media. She feels alienated because she feels other Asian cultures have a greater representation in American society. “I don’t know other Thai students at my school, and popular culture disproportionately focuses on bubble-tea, hot anime girls and K-pop idols,” Guiso said.
Suiting Up. Senior Angela Guiso models a prop arm from the anime “Fullmetal Alchemist.“ To make it, she molded it to the shape of her arm and attached craft foam on top. Portrait by Mariajose Vera She hopes to change this view of individuals in the future and teach them about her unique culture and identity. Although Guiso loves costume-making, she does not plan to make it a career option in the future. Rather, she plans on becoming a biomedical engineer when she is older and have her costumemaking remain a hobby. She is working to incorporate her various interests and skills into researching and creating medical technology. She is hoping to change the world with whatever she does. Story by Ashveen Saini
Sophomore Manahil Kashif opens henna business
practiced in Pakistan, India, Africa and the Middle East for over 5,000 years and can be primarily found in various religions such as Hinduism, Sikhism and Islam. Henna holds great significance for Kashif and her family, hence her love for the art. However, as she began to grow older, it took on a different meaning for her. “When I was 7, I started practicing on myself and on my friends and family. Even though it started off very ugly, the community I was surrounded by was very encouraging and helped me and told me to keep working,” Kashif said. Fast-forward five years later, Kashif started to see more and more henna stalls run by predominantly white people at amusement parks such as Busch Gardens. Since this is a cultural staple for many Muslims and Pakistanis such as herself, she was taken aback by how people weren’t appreciating the art at all. People who were neither ethnically nor religiously affiliated with the art were charging over $20. Knowing this, Kashif decided to start her very own henna business using the knowledge that she has acquired over the years. The goal was to teach people what cultural appropriation is and to teach them how to appreciate her culture instead. Not only is it being given by someone who is intimately familiar with the history behind it, but she also charges half the price of the average rate for
henna tattoos. Since she is a Muslim herself, she only buys her products from Desi-run stores (a person who is of Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi birth). Sure enough, within a week of the business being started up, she made $100. This trend of success has continued long after An Artist at Work. Sophomore Manahil Kashif creates a that very first week, henna design on a fellow student during study hall. Photo and now, her business by Rayne Welser has grown to the extent where she has appointments almost every hijab at all in sixth grade, and I wore only single day. With each person who requests American clothes. But in seventh grade, a tattoo, she not only delivers, but also I decided to step out of my comfort zone tells them the history behind the tattoo, and wear my hijab. I realized how much as well as the significance it holds. I loved it, and I’ve been wearing it ever “I’m very comfortable getting the since.” tattoo from her,” sophomore Angelina But now, even with these obstacles, Kennedy, who is a returning customer, Kashif and her business are thriving. said. “It is extremely quick and of such She established a reputation for herself good quality and service for a great around the school and has made more price.” than $200 from the first semester alone. Ever since she first delved into the Using this opportunity to give back, she world of henna on her seventh Eid al-Fitr, also gives 15% of the proceeds to Masjid Kashif has never stopped pursuing her Jamaat Al’Mu-mineem, her local Mosque. passion, even if she faced adversity by Thanks to both the community that doing so. constantly supports her, as well as her “There was a lot of racism growing natural gift, Kashif continues to do what up, especially when I started wearing my she loves as she goes into 2022 hoping hijab in middle school,” Kashif said. “I to sharpen her skills even more. Story by really wanted to fit in, so I didn’t wear my Kayla Gamm
Feature • Student Profiles 27
making HER voice heard F
Junior Noldine Belizaire works to facilitate change and highlight diversity at MSD throughout the school. When MSD transitioned to online learning, it didn’t stop. This had always left her uneasy, but after the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery spread across national news and the Black Lives Matter movement continued to gain momentum, Belizaire saw students making fun of their deaths during online school and knew she could not put up with it any longer. Belizaire, along with the fellow founders of BSU—Jada Lemy, Roveschney Veillard and Nesya Small—had a meeting with MSD Principal Michelle Kefford to discuss the issues they witnessed. Following the meeting, the four created BSU to ensure students, especially from the Black community, would have a safe haven on campus and in the community. “The goal of BSU is to unite, educate and get together. After eight hours of school, we need some type of outlet to go to, so we provide snacks and a safe space. That’s the main goal. Honestly, I needed a safe space myself,” Belizaire said. Belizaire has noticed that freshmen make up the majority of the club and she hopes that it continues to be a safe space for new students to find like-minded individuals in the school and feel that they belong. The club conducts frequent discussions about anything relating to the Black community. One of Belizaire’s favorite discussions involved the complexities of discipline. “Physical discipline is something we experience at the school as Black that’s really popular in the community, students, like being called the n-word to [administration] not doing anything when it’s been so ingrained in our culture to you complain about an issue with racism the point where people make jokes about here,” said Belizaire. “I definitely felt like it. I was like ‘you know what, we should there was a safe space needed for people talk about this’ because a lot of [other] cultures and ethnicities [also] have an that identify as female at the school; we issue with discipline,” Belizaire said. “I need a place to talk about our issues.” As a founder and the president of the wanted to bring us together to talk about this and you got to hear so many opinions Black Student Union and vice president of people and traumatic stories that of the Ruth Bader Ginsburg club, along brought the [union] closer together. ” with performing drama and presenting Belizaire personally relates to such speech and debate pieces highlighting the a topic and performed a speech about struggles and experiences of the Black the issue at recent speech and debate community, Belizaire makes it her goal tournaments. The piece, entitled “Let to promote an atmosphere of inclusion The Healing Begin,” is a compilation around campus. of pieces of literature that highlight During Belizaire’s freshman year, the generational ties of slavery with she personally experienced and heard discipline and includes experiences of stories about racist incidents occurring rom multiple trips to the office and meetings with sponsors to plan the upcoming Black History Month show to scheduling weekly Black Student Union meetings to helping her younger brother with homework to preparing for her upcoming 8-hour debate tournaments to general homework and school responsibilities, the days of junior Noldine Belizaire are jammed packed and hectic. Balancing it all can be difficult, but the passion that Belizaire has for everything she does motivates her to stay focused and push through. “Everything I do, I put my heart and soul into it because it represents me, and I care about it,” Belizaire said. Attending Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, which is 74% white, for the past three years comes with its opportunities and drawbacks for Belizaire, makes up part of the 12% of Black students. Minorities have a history of being overlooked and unrepresented in Predominantly White Institutions here and across the nation, which Belizaire was not going to accept. Additionally, being a woman is already a challenge within itself, often facing sexism and misogyny on a daily basis. “There’s a lot of Black traumas that
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Everything I do, I put my heart and soul into it because it represents me, and I care about it. Noldine Belizaire, 11
28 Feature • Student Profiles
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violence in her own home. The piece serves as tribute to victims of child abuse and helped heal Belizaire herself from past trauma. Belizaire has participated in speech and debate, specifically Dramatic Interpretation and Program Oral Interpretation, since seventh grade. When she first began, she remembered not enjoying it and felt that the class was not for her. However, her former speech and debate coach Lisa Farris gave her a “school Black mama moment,” as she calls it. Farris, also a Black woman, saw the potential in Belizaire and expressed that she should use her platform to talk about Black issues and represent Black students in speech and debate competitions. Her encouragement from Farris became the motivation Belizaire needed to address topics that are often overlooked, including pieces like “The Average Black Girl,” which discussed the hurtful addition of “for a Black girl/boy” at the end of compliments towards Black people showing their racist motivations and “Reporting Live From Ferguson, Missouri,” discussing the trauma Asian and Black reporters were put under during coverage of the Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate movements. “I am super proud of Noldine. She found her voice and is using it to bring life to the issues that often plague African American women. I think when she first started debate with me in seventh grade she really didn’t realize how much her voice mattered. I’m so glad she found her voice and the confidence to share it with the world,” Farris said. “She gives me way too much credit, I’m just glad I was able to support her and guide in such [a] way that has allowed her to flourish. Her voice was always there; she just had to find it, and I am so glad she did.”
Belizaire is forever grateful for Farris in supporting her throughout her career and continuing to help her even while she is in high school. Belizaire considers Farris a role model in her life and still talks with her about her current debate pieces. “She definitely shaped me into the debater I am today,” Belizaire said. Belizaire has placed in the Top 30 at the 2021 National Speech and Debate Tournament in Dramatic Interpretation out of 6,659 competitors overall, in the finals at the local Blue Key tournament, in the finals at the Yale Invitational High School Tournament, in the championship at Duke University and medaling at a few other out-of-state tournaments. During her sophomore year, Belizaire decided to join MSD drama teacher Melody Herzfeld’s acting class in order to improve her storytelling skills for Dramatic Interpretation. She grew to love the class. From there, Belizaire participated in districts, performing a group piece titled “With Their Eyes,” a collection of monologues that were originally interviews of students and staff at Stuyvesant High School, who were located across the street from the Twin Towers and viewed the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks firsthand. The team secured a Superior rating with the performance, the highest evaluation given. Belizaire worked backstage on the technical team for MSD’s drama performance of “Puffs,” a comedy about the lives of wizards in the Hufflepuff house of the Harry Potter world. She did this to fully understand what tech has to go through to put on a production, from sound to set. In the future, she hopes to be able to participate on stage in drama shows.
Design by Travis Newbery Tapping Into Character. Junior Noldine Belizaire acts out a monologue in the media center from the book “With Their Eyes” on Friday, Sept. 10, as a part of the Drama Club’s presentation. In remembrance of Sept. 11, 2001, “With Their Eyes” contains 23 perspectives of students and faculty at Stuyvesant High School that witnessed the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City.
Photo by Nya Owusu-Afriyie
Belizaire also serves as the vice president of the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Club, which advocates for femaleidentifying students at MSD and promotes equality of sexes in school and life, just like former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg did in her lifetime. “There has been a lot of issues with sexual assault and harassment at this school... and there is a huge issue with the safety of women here and not a lot of people talk about that,” Belizaire said. Belizaire joined the club to make sure female voices at the school were heard, whether over dress code or lack of acknowledgment to female students’ needs. She plans the meetings and projects the club participates in, including their discussions of sexism in school and important female role models. They are currently discussing fixing the lack of menstrual products available for students at school. “There were issues with no pads in the nurse’s office, so we plan on putting free pads in every bathroom to ensure that anyone who has a menstrual cycle can get those resources,” Belizaire said. Beyond that, the RBG Club has plans to help a local homeless shelter for women in any way they can, but Belizaire hopes they can do even more in the future. As a junior, Belizaire is already figuring out her plans after high school. She has wanted to attend a Historically Black College or University since middle school, her first choice being Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, otherwise Howard University or Spelman College. Early admissions will help get into the process of applying to colleges now, while still participating in her many extracurricular responsibilities. Story by Kate Becker
dojos and dialects Senior Gabriela Bravo commits herself to martial arts and writing
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When I was younger, my mom had me try different sports and nothing really ever stuck until I tried karate,” senior Gabriela Bravo said. “My sister did it for many years and so did my dad. I was like ‘I don’t know, maybe I’ll try,’ and then I fell in love with it and never stopped.” Bravo has been practicing karate for over 13 years. She attends Dojos Ken USA in Coral Springs and is among its first generation of students to graduate to the black belt level, doing so in May 2019. At the age of 13, Bravo competed at the 2017 U.S. Open International Sport Karate Association World Championships, taking place in Orlando. To prepare, she practiced for 4-5 hours every day for over two months. The event garnered competitors from around the world to compete in a variety of martial arts categories. She placed first in her forms category “kata,” which is a series of detailed movement patterns. While many people think that a karate education ends at the black belt level, Bravo says that’s just the beginning. “When you get to black belt, you’re really just starting, because everything that you know from white belt and above is the basics of what you need to know for the black belt [level],” Bravo said. There are different degrees, so I’m working towards my second degree now, which I’ll have hopefully by the time I graduate.” Now, Bravo spends a few hours each day helping teach the younger students at her dojo. “I’m just working on what I need to know to help the kids be better [because] that’s the point of being [at a higher] belt, to perfect yourself in order to help others,” Bravo said. In Japanese, “sensei” means teacher, whereas “senpai” means someone who is admired. Among the younger students in her dojo, Bravo has picked up the “senpai” title for her frequent work with them. Bravo attributes karate to a much bigger role in her life than only knowing how to defend herself, which she says is the reason most people choose to learn it. “[Karate] can give you a lot of other things like discipline. When I was younger I was a chaotic child, so discipline really helped me become the person I am today, with structure,” Bravo said. “Karate taught me to always fight through hardships with my head up because I have the ability to overcome [anything]; I just have to work for it.” Additionally, karate opened the door for Bravo’s passion for writing. “We were writing a letter to some people in Japan because they had sent us a care package, and we normally answer, and they wanted us to write something in calligraphy, “kanji,” which is the writing they use in Japan,” Bravo said. “We started writing in these brush strokes, and I just fell in love with the calligraphy style, and I looked more into it. Then I learned about haikus, and that’s how I ended up taking
Perfecting the Form. Bravo performs in the bo ceremony at Dojos Ken USA on Aug. 25, 2021. The ceremony is meant to honor the traditional weapons used in the dojo. Photo courtesy
of Gabriela Bravo
my creative writing class freshman year, and every year since then.” Bravo is now the submission editor for the school’s literary magazine, the Artifex, for which she curates and formats all incoming submissions, as well as writes profiles for the artists that have had their artwork featured in the magazine. She is also the co-vice president of the Spoken Word Club. Bravo knows seven different languages: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese and American Sign Language. Being from a multinational South American family, Bravo mainly picked up Spanish, French, which is taught as a second language in Chilean schools, and Portuguese through interactions with family members, but she learned Japanese, Chinese and ASL through online classes and self instruction. After high school, Bravo isn’t set on any particular career path, but is considering carrying on her writing in one form or another. “For the most part I know I want to pursue something in communications, be it journalism, maybe TV, something like that. I’ve always really loved to write, I also know that via communications and with all the languages I know, I can use [them] to help inform others,” Bravo said. While she hasn’t decided on a specific college yet as she hasn’t heard back from most of the ones she applied to, it is her dream to attend New York University either directly after graduating or at some point in her life. Story by Travis Newbery
Celebrating Diversity Scan to read more student profiles on eagleeye.news
The Eagle Eye wrote stories about interesting and accomplished MSD students from a wide range of backgrounds–read them online
Feature • Student Profiles 29
Critical Thinking Critical Race Theory must be taught in schools in order for students to understand and change systemic racism
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hen TikTok influencer and history teacher Cody Pogue asked his students to list 10 non-white figures in United States history, they were only able to name three. When asked to name 10 Hispanic figures from U.S. history, the number shrunk to two, with both of those figures being villains of history rather than heroes or activists. It also became evident to Pogue that while his students were not able to name any Hispanic figures that were represented positively, they also could not name any white figures that were represented negatively. The lack of historical knowledge displayed in Pogue’s classroom is nowhere close to being an isolated incident. These occurrences come as a direct result of the American school system refusing to teach its students the reality of our history through means of Critical Race Theory. Critical Race Theory suggests that racism is part of a broader pattern in America. According to the Fair Fight Initiative, “Critical Race Theory posits that racism is implicitly woven into our laws, including the nature of policing and law enforcement in our communities. Drilling down to everyday life, this systemic racism impacts everything from hiring practices to home loans.” In summation, the theory teaches how society functions based on racial hierarchies and gives us the tools to address and resolve our country’s innate racial biases. Conversation regarding Critical Race Theory evolved as a result of controversy surrounding the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which was established to help eradicate ingrained racial inequalities by ending Jim Crow Laws, desegregating schools and ensuring voting rights for Black people. Now in 2022, 58 years later, each of those goals still persist in some form, so it is undeniable that we are glossing over the obvious explanation as to why. Although there is little to no evidence that Critical Race Theory itself is being taught to K-12 public school students, 22 states are currently planning to ban Critical Race Theory from grade school education with seven already signing it into law as of June 2021, including Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, New Hampshire, Oklahoma and Tennessee. Although America’s history provides our curriculum with extensive opportunities to educate students on topics like white supremacy, racial discrimination and racial violence, a 2019 study conducted by the Southern Poverty Law Center found that only 8% of high school seniors knew that slavery was the central cause of the Civil War. The blatant racism is made clear with the mere fact that we are trying to limit the teaching of race when race is not even taught to begin with. By instead choosing to integrate our schools with Critical Race Theory, we may be able to eliminate the
whitewashing of history that has been so profoundly entrenched in our education system. On June 10, 2021, Florida’s State Board of Education held a meeting, prompted by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, in which they voted to adopt a new administrative rule banning Critical Race Theory. This rule states that students should not be taught anything that is inconsistent with the board’s approved standards. According to the rule, this includes “teaching of Critical Race Theory, meaning the theory that racism is not merely the product of prejudice, but that racism is embedded in American society and its legal systems in order to uphold the supremacy of white persons.” “I think [Critical Race Theory] will cause people to think of themselves more as a member of a particular race based on skin color, rather than based on the content of their character and based on their hard work and what they’re trying to accomplish in life,” DeSantis said at the meeting, according to an NBC News article posted on June 10, 2021. DeSantis’ notion that people should not consider themselves as a member of their own race proves that to ignore Critical Race Theory is to allow people to become more colorblind. Statements such as “I don’t see color” and “There is only one race: the human race” are frequently used to dismiss the experiences and identities of people of color. By using these statements, you are denying people of color something that they cannot deny themselves of. Unlike a white person, a person of color cannot just ignore their race. As proven by Critical Race Theory, their race
30 Editorial • Critical Race Theory
contributes to the daily experiences that they have with encountering society’s institutions like as schools and law enforcement. The use of these microaggressions comes as a direct result of a lack of education on the history of racial injustices in America. To have an understanding of Critical Race Theory would mean to know just how important it is to embrace, instead of ignore, people of color in America, as they face inevitable racial disparities in everyday social institutions. White people have been using racism, through policy and legislation, to systematically benefit themselves from the very beginning of our country’s history. When this glaring racism finally became recognized as taboo-only after irreversible prejudice had deeply rooted itself in all aspects of social, political and economic life-we resorted to color blindness as an excuse to avoid addressing the vast societal inequality. Opponents of teaching Critical Race Theory claim that the theory is used to create racial division by demonizing white people through the implication that all white people are oppressors. However, this is in fact not the case. The purpose of Critical Race Theory is not to state that all white people are bad people but to simply point out their inherent white privilege. Critical Race Theory is not a division; it is a call to action. Unfortunately, our country has separated itself along racial lines from its very beginnings, and ultimately Critical Race Theory aims to fix that. The goal is to heal those divisions and help this country live up to the promises of freedom and
equality enshrined in its Constitution. White privilege is evident in everyday scenarios such as having a positive relationship with the police, being favored by school authorities and having the white race widely represented in education and the media. Instead of ignoring these inherent biases, we should be using Critical Race Theory to teach students that if you have privilege to use, you should use it to help those without. It is about changing a narrative and recognizing stories that have often gone untold and led to the systemic disparities that exist today. Critical Race Theory is a necessary approach to learning that helps us understand how racial and structural disparities occur despite laws designed to discourage them. While the harsh realities of its ideals may be hard for some to acknowledge, it is the only way to help people learn from the mistakes of the past and put an end to the prevailing systemic racism and prejudices indoctrinated in the creation of our laws and institutions. To only teach students half of a whole story is to teach them nothing at all. Like Pogue’s students displayed, the current education system is drastically failing us. In the year of 2022, when many of us claim to be “progressive,” it is time that we stop ignoring the issues that make us uncomfortable and finally teach our children accurate history: rights and wrongs included. By integrating our curricula with lessons on Critical Race Theory, we will not only be able to shed light on America’s past, but also shine a beacon of hope on its future. Editorial by the Eagle Eye Editorial Board; editorial cartoon by Julia Landy
stop the slur A
lthough the term is often tossed around with little consideration of its deeper meaning, the R-word is an extremely hurtful term to the disabled community and should no longer be used in any circumstance. The use of the insensitive slur has plagued Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. It can commonly be heard throughout the hallways, at lunch and in class. It is used to call someone or something stupid, but it is immensely hurtful and offensive. The R-word has an extensive history, originating in 15th century France and stemming from the Latin verb “retardare,” meaning to hinder or make slow. Eventually, the English adopted the term and used it with a similar meaning. The R-word became a medical term in the 1960s used by the American Psychiatric Association to describe individuals who have intellectual disabilities and an IQ of less than 70. While the intention of the word was to be used for clinical purposes, in years following that decision, the word took on a new, offensive meaning that causes harm to the special needs community The term has evolved into an insult being synonymous to “stupid,” “dumb,” “idiot,” etc., but continues to have its ties to the disabled community. Having transitioned from a neutral connotation to one that is extremely negative, the R-word is now identified as a form of hate speech by the Special Olympics. The scope of the disabled community encompasses a wide range of people with intellectual, physical and developmental disabilities. The new definition of the word now implies that those with a
disability are also “stupid” or “dumb.” This creates untrue and harmful stereotypes towards those with special needs and perpetuates exclusion in our already polarized society. Children with disabilities are already more likely to be bullied. According to a Kantar Social Listening study, when social media users are posting about people with intellectual disabilities, 7 in every 10 of those posts are negative, and 6 in 10 contain a slur. Individuals with disabilities may have trouble speaking, solving problems, walking, remembering and understanding social rules. They endure limitations in cognitive functioning and skills which can cause them to fall behind typically developing children and make it harder to complete everyday tasks. They are not such terms implied by the R-word and should actually be applauded for learning with extra obstacles. The media has only aided the word’s ever-growing usage. From comedians to movies and TV shows, it is not uncommon to hear the R-word when consuming media. In a 2018 Netflix special called “Disgraceful,” comedian Tom Segura targeted children and adults with Down syndrome. He used the R-word to garner laughs and mock the Down syndrome community. When the mother of a child with Down syndrome pleaded with Netflix to take his special down, Segura responded in a tweet claiming that it would be “r******” to take it down. Making fun of the special needs community and using the R-word is a cheap trick by comedians to get a few laughs at the expense of those who must deal with challenging disabilities.
Design by Lily Singer
R-word remains an offensive slur; perpetuates exclusion of disabled people in society
The 2008 comedy “Tropic Thunder” stirred up controversy after one of the main characters Tugg Speedman, played by Ben Stiller, used variations of the R-word at least 16 times throughout the movie, according to the National Down Syndrome Congress. Stiller argued that the use of the R-word in “Tropic Thunder” has nothing to do with people who are intellectually disabled, and instead the movie satirizes actors who go to excessive lengths to get “in character.” Whether satire or not, the movie still uses people with intellectual disabilities and the laughter that their stereotypes provoke as a means to make a successful comedic movie. The media is not exempted from the rest of society and should instead be held to a higher standard. Popular movies and TV shows set an example for society and should make sure they are being inclusive and conscious of their content. Realizing the harm in using the R-word, there are a multitude of ways that businesses, laws and media have worked to become more inclusive for the special needs community. In 2010, former President Barack Obama signed Rosa’s Law, a federal law that removed the term “mental retardation” in federal education, health and labor statutes, replacing it with “intellectual disability.” The law was named for Rosa Marcellino, a young woman with Down syndrome whose family engaged in a two-year campaign to change the terminology. In a White House ceremony, President Obama echoed the words of Nick Marcellino, Rosa’s teenage brother, who said, “What you call people is how you treat them. If we change the words, maybe it will be the start of a new attitude toward
people with disabilities.” Three years later, in 2013, the Social Security Administration signaled that it would eliminate “mental retardation” from its official lexicon as well. While the government and many organizations have adopted “intellectual disability” as the terminology for official documents, there are additional options. Many people advocate for “people first” language; rather than saying “the disabled,” it is preferable to say “people with disabilities,” “adult with disabilities” or “child with disabilities.” Other inclusive terms include “a person with a cognitive impairment” or “a person with a cognitive disability.” Rather than referring to services as “handicapped,” it is more inclusive to use the adjective “accessible” to describe buses, parking and bathrooms. Various campaigns have been created to encourage people to stop the use of the harmful term. One movement, started by the Special Olympics, asks people to pledge to stop using the R-word, with a campaign each march to “Spread the Word to End the Word.” One of the best ways to stop the use of the R-word is to hold those around you accountable and to educate them on why the word is harmful. While there should be harsher punishments in school if the word is said by students, there also needs to be stricter repercussions at home. Parents must teach their children appropriate terms, just as you would to stop them from saying any other slur. In order to eradicate this word, we must all work together and stand in solidarity with people who have disabilities. Opinion by Kate Becker and Lily Singer; editorial cartoon by Julia Landy
Editorial • R-Word 31
32 Feature • Local Farms
