Culture Reset, Whats New?

When we came back in January we had our culture reset to try and improve our school. Since time has passed since then we should be starting to see changes. After interviewing many students about the reset we were able to see what changes had really occurred.

After a chorus of ‘no change,’ we found a few differences in our school this year. One of the few differences that have happened include color coded passes, which students are not a fan of. “The color passes are a whole different problem, like if you have to go to another bathroom because they’re closed [on your floor], then you can’t,” mentioned an anonymous sophomore. Wiam Derbi, a junior at WHS commented on a change she’s noticed,“There hasn’t been any student vandalism.” This is a positive change from our issue of offensive and unsightly vandalism in the bathrooms and around the school.

We were also able to interview Mrs. Marchese, who teaches 10,11,12 History, along with APUSH and Sociology. She also served on the Culture Reset team and played a part in bringing the reset to the school. In discussion about the work that still remains, Marchese mentioned important points, noting “[we need] More transparency, more communication, with staff and with students.” Marchese says, “we need students to understand that we have all these resources for them.”

 This brings up an important issue in our school, communication. Many of our programs are here waiting for students but students are unaware of their existence or that they qualify. Most students don’t even know about the existence of this student newspaper The Talon Tribune! “We have so many different cultures, we have a diverse school which is so unique and so wonderful, and we learn from so many different people and we need to understand that and address that as well,” says Marchese.

Respect is another topic prevalent in the school. Teachers, students and staff all feel that there is not enough respect for each other. “[I would like that] teachers treat the children with respect and don’t automatically assume they’re going to mess everything up,” says sophomore Cassady Kalke. Teachers also feel this way, it can be anything from showing up to class tardy or being talked over. “Respect goes both ways,” says Marchese

There are also whispers about a certain petition floating around. This petition calls for an open campus. Petition here:https://chng.it/xKVyT7T5Sf. This petition was started by senior Alberto Serrato who wants an open campus because he feels that students are too babied in school and that the school also doesn’t meet dietary requirements.

The culture reset is ongoing and still requires more work. An improved school is something we would all like to see and that we all need to work for. “It’s an ongoing work and it’s going to be long-term. There’s no really easy solution,” says Marchese.