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Community Forum 2: District Wants to Centralize HISP Admissions

In an effort to continue the conversation regarding the lack of diversity in selective high school programs, the Sacramento City Unified School District hosted a second community forum in the McClatchy library on Monday, March 12. Last month, a controversial science fair project attributing the racial imbalance in McClatchy’s selective HISP program to people of color having lower IQs than whites and northeast Asians brought attention to the skewed racial demographics in programs like HISP.

While the first meeting was mostly a platform for district officials and community members to make public statements, the more recent forum focused on dialogue. Attendees were split into small groups for facilitated discussion of prompts including “How have you seen individualized racism play out on your campus or community?” and “What current recommendations do you have for change?”

Before the breakout discussions, SCUSD Superintendent Jorge Aguilar gave an update on the district’s efforts to diversify elite academic programs.

Mr. Aguilar said the district has been studying the pool of “eligible non-applicants” in the district — students of color who would qualify for rigorous programs but don’t apply — to find ways to encourage those students to apply.

Aguilar also emphasized the importance of strengthening early education so that the pool of eligible applicants can grow. “This isn’t an issue of 8th graders, this isn’t an issue of 7th graders,” he said. “This is an issue that goes deeper, down to pre-K … We are not seeing the quality pipeline that our community deserves.”

Regarding HISP in particular, Aguilar expressed desire to “centralize” the admissions process. Prospective HISP students must write an analytical essay to apply, and Aguilar wants to train “a cadre of diverse teachers” to evaluate the essays on behalf of the district, taking the only subjective aspect of the admissions process out of the program’s hands.

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CKM should champion students of color

    The world is full of problems and difficulties. Sometimes the problem is created by nature and other times it’s created by a person’s actions or beliefs. Nobody can truly know why something bad happens or the intentions that come with them, but our job as decent human beings isn’t to judge and persecute the source, it’s to try and understand why it happened and see if it can be helped. Recently in the news, you’ve seen terrible things happen at schools.

      I’m not trying to tell anyone what to do or how they should act, I am simply trying to help others see a different perspective. When problems arise, the natural reaction is to hate it and break it. However, sometimes that just makes the problem worse. Sometimes in order to fix a problem you have to step back and see how you can help it. Whether the answer is to tolerate it or try and change it, there are different ways to fix it.

      Recently at McClatchy there has been an issue that has concerned us all. I believe that this is something that we can learn from instead of it being something we fight over. This problem should give the administration an idea of what is going on in school and hopefully give them an idea on how to prevents further situations like it.

A big issue that has been mistaken is the subject of race. The Sac Bee and many other newspapers have been talking about how there aren’t that many kids of color in academically challenging programs. The issue isn’t that they’re dumb or can’t understand it, the problem is that sometimes they either don’t have the option or support to join elite programs.

For me, growing up was tough, I grew up in a shady part of town where education wasn’t a big priority. The priority was working enough hours so that your family could stay in a warm apartment/house and for them to be able to eat. My father had a college degree but it was from Mexico — as hard as he tried, people from banks and other higher-paying jobs wouldn’t accept it. The entirety of my childhood was seeing him working for hours on end at restaurants so that he could support his family.

As a result, I didn’t see the need for paying much attention in school because I thought it was my destiny to become my father. I know a lot of other people, both guys and girls, who felt and still feel that way.

A way for McClatchy to stand out among other schools and help this dilemma is by encouraging students of colored background to work hard for their education and giving them opportunities to see how they can help themselves and the people around them to help stop this cycle.

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HISP itself not to blame for diversity problem, nor “science” project

Saying the HISP program lacks diversity would not be untrue. Mocking the hypocrisy in that, considering the program’s focus is cultural awareness, is fair. Complaining about a campus culture divided between those in the program and those outside of it is valid. But asserting that the program created the racist sentiment and blatant ignorance displayed in the controversial “science experiment” isn’t right.

 

The Sacramento Bee’s media coverage of the Race and IQ project failed in tremendous ways. Primarily, the reporting failed to contact HISP’s coordinator, Ellen Wong, to get her side of the story.

 

The Bee told an incomplete story, that the racism of this student’s project was an extreme consequence of minority underrepresentation in HISP, because it strengthened their larger narrative about the issue of racism at elite high school programs.

 

Is HISP racist in the way it admits students? No. The underrepresentation of minorities is a systemic problem going all the way back to elementary school. It would be pointless to discuss the diversity issue without acknowledging underlying socioeconomic issues.

 

Elementary schools feed students to middle schools and these middle schools feed students to high schools. It’s evident, however, that elementary and middle schools with higher populations of minority students often do not have the resources wealthier and whiter schools have, limiting the competitiveness of their students. Furthermore, many of the campuses in less privileged areas fail to adequately notify their student body of magnet programs, such as HISP.

 

HISP used to promote themselves at every single middle school, until the district discouraged specialty programs from reaching out to schools. This elimination of recruiting is one of the systematic roadblocks to diversity in the program. Currently the only way HISP can reach these middle school campuses is by asking the administration to relay the message to its student body, or by word of mouth or distributing flyers. Ms. Wong annually emails every middle school’s administration with information about the program to encourage students from across the city to apply, but ultimately has no way of knowing if it’s distributed .

 

At a middle school like Sutter, it doesn’t matter whether administration makes an effort to announce the opportunity, as it has a tradition of sending kids to HISP.  For those middle schools in less socioeconomically advantaged areas, which also tend to have large minority populations, this tradition does not exist. Word of mouth is not sufficient to get eligible students from these campuses to apply.

 

When seniors Amos Karlsen and Jonah Wiener-Brodkey researched HISP’s lack of diversity for their senior project, students explained they couldn’t apply for a program they didn’t know existed. The extreme scarcity of ethnically diverse applicants stems partly from certain schools not informing their students of the opportunity.

 

For over 15 years now, Ms. Wong has worked against the barriers that keep her program’s application pool shallow in diversity. These efforts include a discussion with SCUSD Superintendent Jorge Aguilar back in October, in which Ms. Wong proposed ways the city’s entire educational system could be shifted to create equity in resources and opportunity. One watching Aguilar’s video response to the racist “science experiment” condemning HISP’s demographics would have no idea such a conversation ever took place.

 

It is much easier to blame the program for its lack of diversity than it is to address the much deeper and difficult underlying problems. Still, the media should have done so when they picked up this story. Perhaps it was too complicated a situation for them to digest.

 

The student who created this “Race and IQ” project used the racial disparities within HISP to display an offensive and inaccurate ideology they already had. Though having more exposure to students of color in their HISP classes could have potentially changed their views, peers acknowledged that this student has long subscribed to this type of racist ignorance.

 

It is thus inaccurate to say HISP caused the beliefs underlying the “Race and IQ” project. Correlation isn’t causation. If anything, the program’s critical study of culture and world history could only serve to work against such abhorrent beliefs.

 

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How HISP can improve with your help

Despite the outrage, the science fair incident reveals nothing new about HISP. Anyone in the program (and most people who aren’t in the program) can tell you that HISP mostly attracts white and Asian students — a fact that hasn’t changed in the program’s 33 years of existence. To be fair, the science project’s initial question of why HISP lacks diversity is a valid one. This incident presents a golden opportunity to answer it. In October, the two students behind this article started a senior project focused on increasing diversity in McClatchy’s HISP program. We looked at data on application and admission rates by middle school and zip code, then reached out to principals and counselors at underrepresented middle schools to find the causes of the gaps. We are far from understanding the entirety of the problem, but the questions we have asked so far have given us an idea of the necessary steps to make HISP better for everyone. Many of these steps demand involvement from McClatchy students — all McClatchy students, not just those in HISP.

First, HISP must discover the image it projects. No matter how HISP improves the application process, people must like the program. Outreach will only work if HISP students know what prospective students want out of their high school experience. We think that teachers and students must collaboratively organize surveys and focus groups to identify how people view HISP and what improvements they would like to see. Based on what these surveys and discussions reveal, HISP can make the changes necessary for both attracting a more diverse set of students and making sure that HISP students of all backgrounds feel wanted, respected, and cared about within the program. Student involvement is particularly important in this stage. In the near future, we will organize formal discussions with any McClatchy students—HISP or not—who want to voice their opinions. If you are someone who sees HISP students as exclusive, elitist, or generally rude, please reach out to us through our contact information at the end of this article. It should be emphasized that we are all on the same team in this discussion. A more diverse, inclusive HISP would benefit all of us. If we keep this in mind, we can keep the discussion from turning to hostility and personal attacks.

Second, HISP must communicate better with parents, teachers, and students at middle schools that are currently underrepresented in the program. We spoke to students at Fern Bacon Middle School shortly before HISP applications were due and found that only a handful of the people we talked to had even heard of HISP. Current SCUSD rules bar specialty programs like HISP from sending students to middle schools to recruit. This probably partially explains the lack of awareness about HISP. Cristo Rey High School, on the other hand, is a private school that does not have any restrictions on recruiting middle school students. As such, they regularly send students to interact with the middle schoolers, drawing a greater number of Bacon students than HISP does. If HISP imitated this model, sending current students to middle schools like Bacon to show prospective students they are wanted, it could see similar results. We think that the solution here is clear: HISP and other specialty programs must work with the district to create a system that allows magnet programs to recruit as long as they send student representatives to all middle schools in the district. Also, if you heard very little or nothing at all about HISP during your middle school experience, hearing your view could help us improve outreach.

Third, HISP faculty must come together with teachers and counselors whose students have not been applying to or getting into HISP in order to make the application process work for all parties. The data shows that middle schools other than Cal and Sutter have disproportionately low HISP acceptance and admission rates, but it does not entirely explain why. Lack of awareness of the program likely contributes to the low application rates, but other factors also certainly exist, and we need to learn what they are and how to address them. We also know that many students submit part of the HISP application but do not come to McClatchy for the mandatory timed essay. In order to move forward, HISP faculty and middle school staff must work together to create an application system that will ensure that all qualified, motivated students have an equitable chance of getting into HISP.

If you are a student, teacher, or administration member who would like to be involved in any of the above steps, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Solving inequity in HISP will require navigating complex socioeconomic factors; but to figure out how to do this, we need to know more. By searching for the answers together, we can make HISP truly welcoming to students of color.

 

Amos: (916) 730-7180

Jonah: (916) 862-5087

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HISP students react to controversy surrounding program

Attending the most diverse campus in the Sacramento City Unified School District, students at C.K. McClatchy High School are no strangers to learning alongside people of all religions, ethnicities, and sexual orientations. Despite this diversity, controversy surrounding a “science” project has brought into question the moral integrity of students in the HISP program. Many speculate that the air of liberalism amongst HISP kids is a facade of acceptance designed to cover up the more ignorant reality of their racial attitudes.

Several national news outlets recently covered the project, calling attention to an issue facing McClatchy and schools across the country: the elitist, exclusive, and racial disproportionality in accelerated programs. Making an example of  HISP,  many questioned why the percentage of African Americans and Latinos at McClatchy is not mirrored in the program

The student voice of McClatchy has been largely missing from all the news coverage. The Bee included very few student quotes in their initial reporting, and only one student’s words were attributed.

The Prospector decided to seek out what HISP kids think of the controversy surrounding their program, and every student spoken to strongly condemned the message of the project and said the ignorance of the project doesn’t exemplify the attitudes of all students.

HISP senior Maggie Murrell stated, “We are shocked and upset by the content of the project and it’s awful to think that people believe it reflects our mindset or values. Those ideas in no way represents what we believe.”

The HISP curriculum revolves around encouraging diverse thinking and promoting social awareness and cultural sensitivity. “It’s extremely disappointing that anyone would do or say something like this because it represents the opposite of the ideologies that the program promotes,” said HISP senior Harley Dickinson.

But is just being aware of issues enough? According to Black Student Union member and HISP senior Synclaire Thomas, “it takes more than realizing that other cultures exist and acknowledging their problems.”

HISP kids take pride in their open-minded thinking, but some question whether there is genuine awareness or if it’s all a façade of being “woke.” HISP senior Sydney Arroyave acknowledged this criticism. “People have a certain stereotype about HISP kids that we are pretentious and feel like we are superior to other kids at McClatchy,” she said. She also says that despite the occasional know-it-all kid, “we avoid looking down on anybody else for just trying to get an education.”

The conversation surrounding the issues in the program has led to frustration on both sides. While non-HISP students are attempting to educate HISP kids on their perceived elitist attitudes, HISP kids argue that misconceptions about the program lead to misplaced blame that creates hostility and not solutions.

Attempts are being made to bridge this gap. As HISP senior Alma Ruiz stated, “Everyone needs to be a little more open minded and realize that neither HISP nor non-HISP students are completely wrong in how they feel.” Last week, senior Noni Brown announced to several HISP classes that Black Student Union is organizing a “Fishbowl” — an open discussion designed to give all participants a better perspective of the opposite side. Many view it as an opportunity to find understanding.

It is no secret that HISP’s challenging coursework has created a highly competitive environment that seems exclusive and elitist from the outside. Many point to this as the cause of intimidation that discourages many students of color from applying to the program, ultimately creating an applicant pool that lacks ethnic diversity. This being a part of the “bigger picture” concerning racial disproportionality in academic programs and universities, many acknowledge other factors that affect learning careers well before high school. HISP junior Asia Lewis said, “Historical and contemporary inequalities as well as social biases have given students of certain backgrounds more opportunities as they progress through school.”

While HISP kids were quick to defend the program, they believe that the controversy is creating a conversation that needs to be had about the nature of elite programs. “Unequal representation is an unfortunate reality of selective programs like HISP, and it’s important that this issue be discussed in order for it to be addressed,” said HISP senior Danielle Porter.

There is hope that the conversation surrounding this issue will lead to a step in the right direction. HISP student Mark Lambert, a former Black Student Union Historian, views it as an opportunity for change. “It attracts the attention of and stimulates those in charge of the school and district to do more to enable programs such as HISP to do more to open its doors to a more diverse group of students,” he said.

Mrs. Wong, HISP coordinator, told The Prospector that this “is not a new issue,” as the program has struggled with a lack of diversity in the past. Amid allegations of bias in HISP admissions, she is outspoken about the true causes of the issue. Because the district has strongly discouraged  magnet programs like HISP to advertise to middle schools, the program has been made less accessible to kids in low-income and minority communities. “Because our main feeder schools are Cal and Sutter, kids from outside those neighborhoods are much less likely to have even heard about the program, let alone be encouraged to apply.”

When asked about possible punishments for the student responsible for the project, she rejected suggestions of having him removed from the program, instead stating, “We are obligated to educate him. We are obligated to change that mindset.”

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I was a black student in HISP. It was awful.

“You’re in HISP, what’s the excuse for other black people?”, “Are you gonna date a black guy? You know, bigger d**k?” , “So what are you?” , “It’s so nice to not have to be ‘politically correct’ while out of class,” “N****r.” These are but a few things that I have overheard or have been said to me during my time in HISP. My name is Neil Mewton, I’m a senior, and I was in the HISP program for my freshman and sophomore years.

Those were some of the worst years of my life, and while many factors would contribute to that being so, one of the main reasons I was so unhappy was because of the rampant racism  I encountered in the program.

With all this talk about the project, many people (mainly white HISP students) have made efforts to defend the program, and in turn themselves, from accusations of racism. It is this sort of fervent and willful blindness that has allowed the toxic culture within HISP to last for so long. The infamous science project is not an isolated incident, and is merely a reflection of what happens when unchecked racism and elitism are allowed to run rampant.

The HISP program advertises itself like a travel brochure: Your child can visit a racially diverse place school while not having to directly interact with said racial diversity. This selling point allows the program to maintain an elite feel, while simultaneously patting itself on the back for its proximity to diversity.

My dad’s initial observation while attending a HISP meeting before enrolling me: “The program very much presents itself as a private school within a public school. You know, your white kid can be exposed to lots of different cultures, so that they will be better people in the long run. And while wanting your kid to be exposed to other cultures is fine, it reeks of that liberal insincerity that we all know.”

That “liberal insincerity” is a main driving component of my experiences of being black in HISP. Many kids will just nod their heads along with whatever a black kid will say, without actually absorbing it and changing themselves for the better. It is purely for looks and self-validation.

My time at HISP, as mentioned before, was not a good one. Being one of the only black people in the program, it left me without anyone to truly relate to when trying to talk about racism. More often than not, discussions about race would spring up, and I’d feel intimidated about speaking up and voicing my thoughts for fear of being labeled or avoided due to my seemingly, “radical” beliefs. Every black person, when talking about race, has to do so in a half-honest way. Our true thoughts  and feelings are often vilified and looked down upon, because racism is something they cannot fathom. Stories and anecdotes are often written off as being incidents rather than socially accepted behavior, when in reality, it gives the true heart and emotion of what it means to be black in an all white program, and ultimately society.

In those moments I would speak up, I’d feel those stares, and would remind myself to dial it back, as to comfort the audience before me. Because once you point out a student’s racist comment, you are immediately turned into the quintessential “raging black SJW”. I have already lost before I even open my mouth.

All of this, and so much more, is what triggers my reaction to HISP kids crying out about how the lack of black students in HISP not being the program’s fault. If it’s not HISP’s fault, then whose is it? Apparently, a common consensus is that it is black people’s fault. This blame shifting is the core of all their arguments, and is the flimsy soap box they make their case on.

The fervent and staunch defending of the program, all their attempts to absolve themselves of the blame, set up black and brown people as pins for them to knock down with their arguments while offering no solutions in response. They go on and on about how all the ‘woke’ white teachers in HISP would never allow racism to exist in it..That all these claims and experiences that black and brown people have are simply them being over-emotional and wanting free handouts. They wipe their hands clean of responsibility while allowing the victims to bleed out for the sake of their image.

Because the problem with HISP is its lack of diversity and clear racial divide. It is the fact that it favors wealthy neighborhoods and schools, that it doesn’t actively seek out low-income students. And when you confront them with all of this, they shrug their shoulders and claim “we’ve tried to help them, but they don’t want to come”.

HISP has had years to figure out a solution to this problem. Years to lobby against State Proposition 209, which effectually prohibits recruitment of black and brown students, and yet, they seem more preoccupied with maintaining their image of racial diversity rather than actually striving to become diverse.

You cannot claim to be a multicultural program, while having the diversity of an inbred Austrian prince. It is your duty to live up to what you claim to be. Stop making excuses. Stop pinning the blame on everyone else. This is your program, your students, your responsibility.

 

My reasoning for my argument is the clear racial divide and economic divide in the program. I understand the limitations that have been imposed, but the HISP program has had years to figure out a work around, and it’s not illegal to actively seek out black students or even low income students. I wanted to break away from my intelligible previous paragraphs and go into a rant. My purpose was to clear the fog about what I hear is excuses constantly.

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We must not stop fight against racism

It’s no secret that the Humanities and International Studies Program (HISP) isn’t as diverse as McClatchy. A “science” project presented at the school brought attention to the issue — but not in a constructive way. A student in HISP hypothesized that the lack of diversity in the program was “justified” because African-Americans, Latinxs, and Southeast Asians had low IQs compared to the IQs of Northeast Asians and whites.

The student’s “scientific experiment” consisted of picking one person from each race —  a total of 5 people — and asking them to take an online IQ test at home. He then graphed each person’s score and presented it as science. It is unknown whether his science teacher knew what he was doing for his project but hearsay is that he mislead her until the day of the science fair.

When the project was first put on social media, Black Student Union president Karris Brooks, a senior, said that “due to the absurdity of the content, [she] figured it had nothing to do with McClatchy.” And when students like Adelina Hernandez, a sophomore in HISP, saw the project, “we all kind of laughed about it.” But she notes that “since that was our first response to this type of ideal, it kinda seems like we allowed this to happen.”

A HISP senior who wished to remain anonymous said she was “really disappointed and offended” by the science project and that the idea that a HISP student could do something like that “spits in the face of the values of the school and the program.”

Brooks says that “incidents like this make students (including myself) feel unsafe, unheard, and unwanted … I refuse for this situation to be brushed under the rug like previous ones. Many future black students will feel discouraged to want to join programs like HISP with the knowledge that these type of incidents are overlooked.”   

As unscientific and racist as the project is, the student’s original question is a good one: why aren’t there people of color in the program? The answer is much more complex than the student’s conclusion. And the solution to the problem has to be more long-term than simple punishment for the student in question.

Part of the problem is a general lack of knowledge about the program. People outside of Sutter Middle School or Cal haven’t heard of HISP (as shown by seniors Jonah Wiener Brodkey and Amos Karlsen on page 3). In their attempts to help diversify their program for their senior project, Amos found that “a lot of them [students at Fern Bacon] simply hadn’t heard of HISP.”

The program isn’t racist or systematically built against people of color. Zachary Neff, a HISP senior, notes that “[HISPs] selection is color blind and the top 20% ranked students from any middle school is automatically accepted.”

It’s just that, as Amos said, “if you don’t have friends or family members who go through HISP and if you don’t go to Sutter or Cal then it’s entirely possible that you just haven’t [heard of the program].”

HISP Coordinator Ms. Wong said that before this incident, she spoke with SCUSD’s superintendent about advertising HISP at schools underrepresented the program. As of now, students can’t come in and talk about their program and their experiences within it, leaving eighth graders and their parents to depend on going to different schools’ orientations or just going to their home school. Because of this “HISP is missing out on crucial perspective that could be found in more outreach and encouragement to students from other middle schools like Will C. Wood or Fern Bacon,” said Zachary.

Ms. Wong doesn’t disavow the the perception of the program as elite. “If elite means academically challenging, then I don’t think we want to back away from that,” she said. She is aware, however, that elite has a certain connotation she doesn’t like: “elite is code word for exclusive, which means that criteria are a barrier to entry.”

Hernandez feels the same, stating that “I have noticed that there’s an alarming lack of diversity. When I look around I don’t see a representation of the school’s population, I just see the ‘elite’.” There are few people of color in the program who are able to enrich the classroom environment and to further the program’s discussions about race. Hernandez notes that “there comes a certain point where it’s not the educator’s job, but the peers around him who need to enforce that idea and not allow [his racist views] to continue.” But because of people’s silence, opinions like these are allowed to go on under the radar of admin who can really do something about it.   

After the articles and the rants and the debates, this issue cannot die down. This can’t be another weeklong story before it all gets swept under the rug so we can pretend that our “there is no room for racism at CKM” signs mean something. This is not something we can “once race, the human race” away. It’s brought attention to “all of the racially charged injustices that go on at this campus, not only from students but from the teachers as well” says Brooks.

This issue requires long-term action. Senior Kiana Brown says that if HISP wants “to start the healing around CKM and working with them to not only amend the issues of CKM but also [within] the program itself.”

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We need more oversight on sensitive school projects

In my opinion the teacher in charge of this science fair project should have had each student go up to practice their project in front of the teacher before letting parents and students look at it during the science fair.

 

The project probably would’ve been a little better if the student had worded things very different — it shouldn’t have said that the average IQ of blacks, southeast Asian, and hispanics are lower than the average IQ of non-hispanic whites and northeast asians. I don’t know why they would say something like that without expecting major backlash.  For this student to do their research and find out that there’s 508 students enrolled in the HISP academy and to do more research to find out there’s 12 african americans, 80 hispanics and 104 asians, they should have thought the parents and the students were going to get offended. Even if they didn’t have to deal with other parents and students not in the academy, the others that are in the academy would get offended because this student is talking about their race.

 

The student should have put resources and things in his project to make sure people don’t think this student is making this up, because for this student to say white’s test scores are higher than any other race is like saying the other races aren’t smart or saying the other races don’t study and for those who do study will get mad and get offended because everyone is different. I personally don’t like what this student said because I am black and my test scores are not bad and for them to say that made me feel like wherever they got their information from is not true at all.

 

To be completely honest the student should have asked one person from each race if they would be mad or offended by what’s getting put on the board. For this to be this big of a problem means a lot of parents and students were mad about what this student put on his project. If it got removed by Wednesday that means during the project and even after parents and students complained and had it taken down. Black Student Union arrived Thursday after the project had been taken down but Black Student Union was still able to view it.

 

I like that Principal Lambert took this very serious and called everyone’s parents saying to take this incident very serious, he also met with all his staff to further discuss the project.  

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McClatchy Hosts 8th Grade Prospective Students

 

Look Out McClatchy! The 2022 class is here… or was, for two days. From November 16th to 17th, 8th graders toured McClatchy and visited the Black Box Theater, the track, and listened in on a variety of classes.  

Before visitations, parents and incoming freshmen attended an information night on November 15 at 6:00p.m. McClatchy staff welcomed them and described school programs and unique school features.

Mrs. Wong, the HISP coordinator, organizes the HISP tours every year, and each respective CKM program also gives tours lead by current CKM students. Teachers kept their doors open throughout the day, and tour groups dropped in and watched the classes.

Having already gone through the visitation process, current McClatchy students recall their visitations to CKM. Josephine Perez, a junior, remembered her first time at McClatchy, “It was a big school, I walked around and got lost.” Perez enjoyed the art classes here, “I think they’re really fun… I’m taking ceramics and 3D art. I’m really into ceramics.”

Freshman and current Law and Public Policy Academy Student Alajah Stewart felt welcomed during the tours last year due to the school’s atmosphere, “The community and the students are there to support each other.”

The class of 2022 was impressed with CKM. On information night, 8th grader Mia Breton looked forward to her tour on Friday. She was excited for VAPA, “VAPA speaks to everything I am. I’d love to go to this program. Nothing is going to stop me.”

Now after touring CKM and seeing what the school has to offer, the 8th graders must choose to join the McClatchy community for themselves.

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Griffin Transitions into HISP Community

After 32 years of teaching and serving the McClatchy and HISP communities, Mr. Wong, alongside Mr. Tagg and Frau Rice, stepped down from his teaching position after the 2016-2017 school year. This year, AP psychology teacher Mr. Griffin, and history teacher Mr. Limonoff are to split Wong’s classes. Griffin is to teach sophomore HISP students, while Limonoff will teach the freshmen and junior HISP classes.
This wouldn’t be the first time Griffin and Limonoff are working alongside one another at McClatchy. According to Mr. Griffin, the two began their teaching careers at CKM in the early 2000s. “I did my student teaching here in 2003 with Mr. Liminoff. He was my greeting teacher. Then I did a couple years at Sac High and came back to [McClatchy] in ’05 to start teaching psychology.” During this time, Griffin also observed some of Mr. Wong’s classes. Later, both Limonoff and Wong would reconnect over similar interests: playing golf together and taking baseball trips. The two recently went on a trip to the World Series together. The two plan on completing the Sacramento Century Bike Ride together in October, where the proceeds will benefit both the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Sacramento and, the Volunteers of America. It’s evident Griffin found both a family and home in McClatchy.
Initially, Griffin wasn’t interested in pursuing a teaching career. After graduating from San Jose State with a double major in behavioral science and clinical psychology, he began working in an operating room as an anesthesia technician and autotransfusionist from 1988 to 2004, when he began teaching. At the time, he planned to pursue clinical psychology as a career in hopes to become a marriage/family/ child counselor. Ultimately, teaching would allow Griffin to translate his passions into his career.
Griffin has been with McClatchy for 14 years now. Over the years, he’s continued to share his passion for psychology, now at the AP level. He claims that the strong will that the teachers possess, as well as the established sense of community has kept him grounded and has given him a feeling of home. He also felt that a new, refreshing opportunity awaited him when offered Mr. Wong’s teaching position. He’s always had an admiration for history, and took courses on Middle Eastern Studies in college. “From an academic standpoint, it’s a chance to teach something else that I have an interest in,” says Griffin. “Getting a chance to teach something new keeps my brain flexible and allows me to learn new things.” Griffin sees this teaching position as an opportunity to step out of his comfort zone.
His hope for the course is that the quality and depth of the course, remains constant. When asked if there were any contributions that he was eager to add to the HISP community or McClatchy as a whole, he was very modest and complimentary of Wong. “New contributions? I’m not sure. I just want to ensure that the students that I have are getting the same kind of quality education that they received from Mr. Wong.”