NEWS GATHERING

Note: This piece was written my first semester on staff, Spring of 2017. A friend and I had talked about this topic for awhile, so I decided I would try my best to bring awareness to this issue. I had a lot of fun writing this piece, collecting various teacher sources (conducting my longest interview to date, 35 minutes from teacher Sue Cline), researching how textbooks are controlled by Texas and California, and hearing the stories from minority students. Whenever I thought I had concluded my research for the article, more would come at me. Whether it be due to a new interview, or new perspectives to consider, the process never ended. This is one of the articles that has changed my views still to this day. I often inform people about the textbook bias created in the United States, and don't hesitate to question when groups are being under represented.

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Better representation crucial to history curriculum

From a young age it is taught that Christopher Columbus discovered America. In elementary school you learn that he was on a mission to find gold. Finally, in high school you find out that he burnt down villages and cut off the hands of Native Americans that did not bring him enough gold.

It is nearly impossible to fit thousands of years of history within one, or even multiple history textbooks. Textbooks are meant to teach students important events and facts, while keeping an unbiased stance. However, publishers have been accused of bias for years.

Qatar University professor Dr. Michael H. Romanowski wrote a thesis on textbook bias. “Passages in textbooks that are ‘factually correct’ may also be communicating very selective values and moral judgments,” Romanowski wrote. “This form of bias is more subtle than is bias resulting from inaccurate facts, but it can still be very powerful.”

As classes have limited time and resources, it is difficult to include all important events. U.S. History and Government teacher Jeremy Yenger explained how the department has discussed what curriculum is essential to cover. “We’ve had debates within the department about what is necessary to teach students,” he said. “We’ve had debates outside the department from a vertical articulation perspective, meaning what should they be learning in sixth grade? What should they be learning in seventh grade?”

A.P. U.S. History teacher Jessica Dowell spoke about how the course’s textbook addresses this. “The one thing I will say when looking at any U.S. History textbook is, it never does as well of a job as some teachers would like it to in terms of covering minority perspective,” Dowell said. “Whether it’s gay and lesbian rights, Native American rights, African American rights, latino rights, it never does as well of a job as you would like, covering those perspectives.”

Originally A.P. U.S. History contained little mention of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) rights, Native American treatment, African American treatment, Japanese internment camps and other minority treatment. The course was redesigned three years ago and caused controversy as the curriculum would include more discussion of these topics.

Dowell explained the argument made regarding this transition. “There was a big push from schools that didn’t want their school district to be apart of this redesign because they thought it focused too much on how horrible slavery was, how horrible our treatment of Native Americans was and how horrible a lot of the country was towards African American through a large chunk of history,” Dowell said.

Many students are uninformed on LGBT+ topics, regarding what the movement has gone through. A.P. World History teacher Sue Cline has seen this lack of knowledge first hand. “When I first started teaching history, I had tons of students who honestly thought that homosexuality was created in the 1960s and the 1970s, when all those people were doing all those drugs,” Cline said.

Savannah DeGroot ’17 believes the U.S. History textbook does not talk enough about the LGBT+ community and that there are easy solutions to this problem. “We don’t even touch on the LGBT movement at all,” DeGroot said. “It would be as simple as taking a day or two and going over everything that happened. We spend two weeks on the Vietnam War, but we can’t take two days to learn about the past 50 years of the LGBT movement?”

However, U.S. History is not the only class where bias is evident. World history has often times been told from a European based point of view. “Most of the textbook companies that are providing resources for teachers are going to have either global focus or a western history focus,” Dowell said.

More than half of the chapters in the World Studies textbook focus on European countries. There is little to nothing regard Australia, Africa and South America. “The class is called World Studies, it’s probably misnamed,” Dowell said. “It is probably more of a western civilization course. When we talk about other areas of the world, that aren’t Western Europe, were looking at how do those other areas of the world interact with Western Europe.”

Iowa Core has created standards in hopes of students connecting what they learn to a larger concept. These standards concentrate on behavioral science, economics, geography, history and political science. Yenger bases his lessons on the standards rather than the content from the textbook.

Yenger finds it more important for students to learn how to look at history and connect that to the standards, rather than memorizing dates. The standards allow for students to focus on areas that they prefer to learn about. “You might focus on fashion in the 1950s,” Yenger said. “I’m not teaching you anything about fashion in the 1950s, but you’re creating the argument and how that argument fits into the standard.”

Texas and California have historically disagreed on political matters, and are now fighting to teach different sides of history. These two states control the textbook market, and ultimately sway the decision of what textbook the other 48 states will use. “Your textbook has to be marketable everywhere possible,” Cline said. “Most of the history books that we use are unacceptable in Texas already. If you can’t sell in Texas and California, you might as well not bother.”

California wants to teach a more progressive American history, including events regarding LGBT+ rights. Texas however pushes to use textbooks that highlight the positives and deemphasizing the negative aspects involved in American history. This approach has caused some controversy from teachers and school board members.

Many have varying opinions on the bias in history classes. Some solutions, such as concept based teaching, are being implemented in the history curriculum. There is a push for more inclusive history, gaining support from teachers and students alike.

Note: Once word spread that the school would be having a walkout, I jumped at the opportunity to cover it. Jaedyn Brockway '19 and Abby Headington '19 organized the event while talking with administration. I did multiple interview with the two as agreements between the students and administration changed overtime. I also interviewed the principal in order to provide both sides. Following local interviews came research. I researched past school shootings as well as gun violence statistics. I wanted to provide a clear reason behind the walkout, while giving reliable sources such as March for Our Lives themself.

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Walking out, Speaking up

The Columbine High School massacre occurred April 20, 1999. Since Columbine there have been roughly 50 school shootings, including the recent school shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

School walkouts and protests have erupted around the nation after the Parkland shooting. Two national walkouts have previously been organized in opposition of the current gun laws and policies. Along with walkouts, many organizations have orchestrated protests at state capitals.

Women’s March and March for our Lives are two large organizations at the front of these demonstrations. March for our Lives was created by the student survivors of the Parkland shooting. The organization has hosted protests already regarding the gun violence against students. “We cannot allow one more child to be shot at school,” the March for our Lives website states. “We cannot allow one more teacher to make a choice to jump in front of an assault rifle to save the lives of students.”

Jaedyn Brockway ‘19 and Abby Headington ‘19 were two student leaders who helped bring the movement to Johnston. A previous national walkout was held on March 14, one month after the Parkland shooting. As Johnston was on spring break during the first walkout, Brockway and Headington organized for Johnston to participate in the walkout held on April 20.

Students participated in the walkout on April 20 at 10:00 a.m., lasting 17 minutes. Each minute was representative of a student killed in the Parkland shooting. “We’re walking out because we want to feel safe at school and administration needs to recognize the amount of students that don’t feel safe and something needs to change,” Brockway said.

Many students are unable to vote, meaning many must rely on protests and walkouts in order to express political disagreement or advocacy. “Since most high school student are under 18, it means that they can’t vote, and the subject of school shootings directly impacts students,” Abby Headington ‘19 said. “I think that students were tired of being silenced and depending on representatives that they can’t vote for to protect them; which they are not because of the crazy amount of mass shootings.”

Brockway and Headington created multiple outlets for students to get involved, including t-shirts and event pages online. T-shirts stating “enough is enough’ were sold to students wanting to participate. They also hosted a sign making event at the public library April 18. Both students have received support from their peers. “I’ve only felt good feedback from my friends, and they’ve all been on board with telling their friends about it,” Brockway said.

Along with obtaining student support, much of the process had involved talking with administration. Brockway and Headington met with administrators on multiple occasions, in order to make sure that the event would be safe and organized. “The students came about it the right way and talked to us as student leaders,” Ryan Woods said. “We basically just listened to their plan and we asked what they wanted to do.”

The main concern expressed by administration was the safety of students. “When we’re in the building we have locked doors, we feel pretty safe, but once we get outside that brings in a lot of unknown. Now I’m not dealing with just my students and my staff, I’m dealing with what’s out here in the community,” Woods said. The Johnston Police Department was informed about the walkout, in order to ensure the safety of the students. Teachers with planning periods were also utilized to supervise the event.

Parents and teacher were informed on April 9 in an email from superintendent Corey Lunn that all participation would be voluntary, and class procedures would continue as normal.“Please note that student participation for any approved expressive activity will be strictly voluntary - the expectation will be that learning in classes continues for those who do not attend, will require parent permission and that staff may be assigned for supervision as needed.,” Lunn said.

While administration decided to not interfere with student participation, teachers were not allowed to participate in the walkout. School policy disables teachers from leaving their position while teaching. Teachers are also supposed to remain neutral regarding their political views during school opperation.

Administration disallows for teachers to express political views as a way to avoid peer pressure on students. If a teacher were to advocate for a political walkout, students in opposition may then feel pressured to participate. “We teach about politics, we talk about the government system, our role is to be very neutral in that,” Woods said. “We want you to understand how things work, but we should never be telling you how you should vote, how you should believe this or that. We want you to be able to make educated decisions about what you want to believe, but not tell you what you should do.”

Many students were hesitant in participating in the walkout in fear of college punishment. However, many colleges and universities have come out with statements regarding their choice of whether or not to punish potential students who participate in walkouts. The University of Iowa and Iowa state University have both issued statements on Twitter. “The University of Iowa respects the right to peacefully protest,” a tweet from the University of Iowa states. “Admission to UI will not be negatively affected for prospective students participating in non-violent activism.”

A similar statement was issued by Iowa State University, “A message to future Cyclones: Iowa State University values the honest and respectful expression of ideas by both its current and prospective students,” a tweet from Iowa State University reads. “A disciplinary action associated with peaceful participation in non-violent protest will not affect your admission status.”

After multiple steps of organization and clarification between student body and administration, nearly 100 students walked out on April 20. “I Hope that this passion and drive students have doesn’t end now, vice principal Jerry Stratton said. “I hope it doesn’t stop and that they have a voice in a bigger movement.”

Note: This piece was one of the hardest to write in my career as a journalist. With such a tough topic, I really had to define what I wanted to talk about. Mental health is one of my largest passions, and I have noticed the lack of education on the topic. Nearly everyday I hear my peers label their first world problems as causing their depression, and the test they had being the root of anxiety. The casual use of these words create an even worst stigma, and don't allow for a real conversation about mental health. I talked with both the school therapist and a school counselor. Lisa Boge, the school counselor, had recently won an award about mental health and I thought it would be perfect for an extra expert source. I also talked to two students about their struggle with mental health. Grace Doan had been to a rehabilitation center for nearly two years after finding depression and an eating disorder. This was incredibly hard to have a conversation about, but it was a necessary one.

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Do not Dilute Depression

We oftentimes forget the impact that our words can have on others. Especially when these words are already in our everyday vocabulary. However, that does not mean we should just ignore what we say. Words like ‘depressed’ and ‘anxiety’ have become all too familiar with our daily language.

Mental health is a large problem in the United States, especially when one out of four teenagers are affected by anxiety disorders. Using words like depressed and anxious does not help reduce this number. By including these words in everyday vocabulary, it can make those suffering from mental illness, seem as if their condition is invalid.

Depression and sadness are not the same thing, and should not be used interchangeably. Sadness is an emotion similar to happiness, anger and love. These are temporary feelings that may switch throughout the day. Depression is a mental illness where chemical imbalances in the brain affect the way you feel, act and think. By using depression in replace of sadness, it creates the stigma that these are the same thing.

Depression affects all parts of life, where sadness can oftentimes be replaced by another emotion easily. “Depression is mental illness, where sadness is a basic everyday emotion,” Grace Doan ‘19 said. “I feel like they’ve been dumbed down to mean the same thing and they’re really not because depression is serious and sadness is temporary.”

By using the word depressed in replace of sad, it takes away from the severity of depression and the results it can have. The use“Pop culture has made it acceptable to joke about things like hanging ourselves or killing ourselves, and then somebody actually does it,” JD Norris 19’ said.

Anxiety is another mental illness that falls victim to this. Many people feel anxious about large stresses in their lives. Yet, feeling anxious does not always result in having anxiety. “Saying ‘that test gave me anxiety’ can be really frustrating to somebody who is dealing with that problem,” Ally Andreasen 18’ said. “That test didn’t give you anxiety, it may have made you anxious, but there’s a difference in that.”

As somebody that has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Andreasen has dealt with this problem hands on. “I have ADHD and it really bugs me when somebody is feeling a little squirrely and they say ‘I’m so ADD,’” Andreasen said. “I think it is the same situation for depression and anxiety.”

Receiving validation for mental illness is already a problem people suffering with these illnesses face. They are often told that it is just a phase or they are just sad. Mental illness is not a phase and should not be compared to emotions that are always changing.

The stigma behind mental health will never get better if people keep throwing these words around like they are nothing. These are big words with big meanings, and should be used in correct context. With the immense amount of those who suffer from mental illness, it is crucial to watch what you say, or else that number will continue to go up.

A lack of knowledge is most commonly why these words are used in the wrong context. “People will use the word bipolar to express a shift in emotion, where bipolar disorder is much more complex than that,” therapist, Amy Ziegenhorn said. “People with bipolar disorder will feel on top of the world for a few weeks and have incredible ideas and motivation, and then have a very low point for awhile where they struggle to even get out of bed.”

Organizations such as students for change are potential solutions to this problem. Awareness is the best way to inform others about the severity of these mental illnesses. “I think groups like students 4 change will help get rid of the stigma associated with mental health, guidance counselor, Lisa Boge said. “That these disorders are just feelings, when there is something much deeper going on.”

The casual use of these words create many negative effects, especially for those who suffer from these mental illnesses. This problem can be fixed as easy of using an alternative word.

Note: Teacher not Preacher was written after a homecoming event was postponed. I was not mad about the event being postponed, I was upset that it was weeks later when it actually took place while there were multiple free Wednesday evening available. I did a lot of research from talking to the student council teacher sponsor, looking through the school handbook, and talking with an alumnus. There were a lot of opinions flying around at the time, so I wanted to provide mine, while also showing every side.

Teacher not Preacher

When moving to the district in 6th grade, one of the first things I noticed was how many people were Christians. I went from a school district that did not focus on religion much to suddenly being surrounded by it everyday. Besides being “recruited” to join churches, I felt a societal pressure to believe in something.

This pressure is still something very evident in the school system today. With Christian groups being advertised in the school and policies accommodating to church nights, it is hard to avoid. The district is creating an environment in where students may prioritize religion over school.

Rock Around The Clock (RATC) was postponed from Sept. 25 to Oct. 16, due to unsafe weather. Many students were angered that they had to wait three weeks, when the Wednesday of homecoming week had no other events scheduled. However, the school district has a policy in place prohibiting school events on Wednesday as many students attend church on that night.

Last year RATC was on a Wednesday because of the National Council on Youth Leadership (NCYL) taking place on the Monday of homecoming week. Students council advisor Kari Grey was informed that moving RATC to a Wednesday was a one time thing.

“When I asked to do it this year they did say they needed to stick with policy, and that’s why we can’t do it on wednesday,” Grey said. “The best day that there were no other activities going on was October 16.”

The fact that church and youth group is the reason that events are not held on certain days of the week, is a complete opposition to public school. Part of growing up is figuring out where your priorities lie, and the school is not responsible for accommodating to your religious services. It should be the student’s discretion if they are willing to miss church for a school event and vice versa.

Although the event went on, there was a different feeling in the air compared to the years where RATC takes place during homecoming week.

“I think it felt different because it was colder and later in the year, but it kept the same energy and school spirit,” Val Boska ‘18 said. “I think that despite the delay, it was still a ton of fun and student council did a great job of making just as great.”

This event brought up some other areas of concern regarding religion interfering with school. Fellowship of Christian Athletics (FCA) and Catalyst are two examples of religious groups that meet at the school. The school does not sponsor or organize the two groups.

“Catalyst is a student-run organization, which means that the school district is not running or endorsing the organization,” Matt Jaschen said. “We are providing a safe space for students to gather if they are interested in Jesus.”

These groups gain much support from the district and the community, but other belief systems do not always receive equal treatment. When Carly Campbell ‘16 created Atheist club she received much backlash.

As long as a club has a teacher sponsor, the club is allowed to meet. Campbell had trouble trying to find a teacher to support a club with such a negative connotation from the community. That was not the only trouble she had with the creation of Atheist club.

“When I went in to get my club approved by the principal, who was Mr. Riessen at the time, he made a comment when asking me questions about the club “I’m just playing devil’s advocate, no pun intended,” campbell said. “Which made it clear how little people in Johnston knew about religions other than their own.”

Campbell said the worst part of creating the club was the community.

“I was basically known as that atheist girl until I graduated,” Campbell said. “I know parents in the community who still refer to me using atheist as my identifier.”

Johnston has been so Christianized that it is hard for individuals in the community to accept others and their choice to believe something else or anything at all.

“There were some issues where some kids were harassing someone on social media,” Marianne Aldrich ‘19 said. “Harassing because of their religion and calling them a bunch of horrible names and suggesting threats to them.”

It’s very evident that Christianity is the religion that the majority of community members follow. However, the school has made the divide between church and state fuzzier due to policies that have been implemented and the treatment of religious clubs. A public school is supported by tax dollars and should create an environment that parents feel comfortable sending their student, regardless of religion.