9/21 Grade-wide assembly overview
“Please give me your undivided attention. This is not a time to have your cell phone out,” she requested. “You are the leaders of this building so surely you are going model appropriate behavior.”
Brown continued by addressing the lack of consistent information. “I have to make sure we give you the realities. There are a lot of rumors and assumptions.”
She then introduced the senior Student Interventionist by initiating a call-and-response: “Do we know who the 12th grade SI is?”
“Ms. Cho,” the class responded with a lack of enthusiasm.
She then introduced Student Engagement Advocate Sheri Williamson. The positions were not further explained.
The problem, as explained by Brown, is the two percent of students who are causing problems. “98% of you come to school and do what you’re supposed to do. It’s a small percentage, less than 3%, causing problems.”
Her solution was unclear. “Be the leaders you are,” she said. “Let’s not let rumors and assumptions be the only narrative.”
Over the course of the assembly, Brown informed students that traditional methods of discipline were not completely abandoned. She spoke of 12 suspensions. She did not comment further on the number of fights.
“This talk is not to make you feel bad. It’s to thank you,” Brown said referring again to the 98% of well-behaving students.
Recurring ideas throughout her speech were seniors being leaders and needing to change the culture of the school.
Stephen Waller, athletic director and senior administrator, then came to speak to students about the new homecoming regulations.
The senior/student response to Friday’s assembly was overwhelmingly negative.
“It was a waste of our time and there was no resolution to anything,” Chase Powers states. “It was left very open ended. We didn’t get any concrete facts.”
Jace Winfield agrees. “I think it was pointless because nobody was listening and she didn’t make a point at all,” he says. “It didn’t get nowhere she said not to fight and yesterday there was a big fight.”
Logan Sarver brought up another common point, accusation. He says, “That assembly felt like it was telling seniors it was our problem and we need to change.”
Winfield agrees. “She feels like since we’re seniors were supposed to be leaders, but I feel like she’s blaming the fact there’s fights on us and there’s only been two senior fights the whole year.”
Ayesha Mehta feels similarly. “It made me feel like the administration doesn’t know what they’re doing,” she says. “They told us we should be leaders, but they don’t treat us like that. They expect us to stop fights when it should be their job.”
On Saturday, September 22, The News-Gazette posted a statement in a recent article,“A planned student assembly about school violence was held Friday,” despite students agreeing the assembly’s contents were not majorly geared toward the topic.
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