Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) introduced a program that is available to high schools in the county – Student Voices. At Brunswick High School (BHS), a group of about thirty students met on December 13 to discuss equity issues at our school.
Upon arrival, the group introduced themselves to their respective tables and discussed the guidelines for this group. After this brief introduction, students began the activity for the day. Seven posters were scattered throughout the media center and each student was given seven stickers to answer the question on the posters.
Once each student placed their stickers, each table group was given their own poster to discuss why the questions were answered the way that they were. After a brief ten-minute discussion at each table, the questions on the posters were then taken to a group discussion.
It was alarming to see some of the results from these posters. The simple statement “I have experienced or witnessed someone at my school being judged for their race,” had a majority of students who agreed. Similarly, all of the students in attendance agreed with the statement, “I have witnessed or experienced students being treated differently because of their wealth, perceived wealth, and/or where they live.”
Brunswick’s principal, Mr. Christopher Berry, said that the most impactful part of the meeting on Wednesday was that he heard there are a lot of students here that feel badly about how other schools perceive Brunswick. “This is a common feeling a lot of students at schools have. That we tend to, in our mind, come up with a singular view of how we look at other schools.” Mr. Berry wants our students to organically act for change at BHS.
Historically, BHS has been a school that is underrepresented in the FCPS system. Berry hopes that this program will allow other schools to really understand what the Brunswick community has to offer.