Fourth in a series
Re “At Culver High, Black Students Flourish”
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Mr. Farris and wife Lindsey, the high school's cheer coach
At first, said Principal Dylan Farris, he was puzzled as to why black students seemed to fare better at Culver City High School than reputedly on numerous other campuses.
“We wanted to establish focus groups among African American to find out what their experiences were here,” Mr. Farris said.
“We wanted to know what their perceptions were of our school vs. their perceptions of other schools.”
For a young principal now in his second year, the student responses were rewarding.
“A couple of answers came out,” Mr. Farris said. “They felt there was an expectation of students here, that teachers were preparing our students for college, regardless of backgrounds. Or to quote (Supt.) Dave LaRose, ‘Your address does not dictate your achievement.’
“The other thing they brought up was the multicultural literature class that we spoke about earlier.
“They felt it was an eye-opening, life-changing experience for them that really got them to appreciate others.
“One recommendation that came out of the focus groups was, ‘We want kids to get this sooner.’
“Since then, there has been an ongoing conversation about how can we use this in a curricular fashion (because presently it is limited to 12th graders).
“One reason it is a senior-level course is that the content is very mature. It’s a very emotional experience, and there is a certain maturity required of students before we can venture down that path (offering the course to younger students).
“Again,” said Mr. Farris, “this is one more aspect of the school that is contributing to this overall appreciation for diversity.
“I would posit that the students are impacting each other. They are leading one another. So the way our seniors behave influences our underclassmen. They are the models.”
(To be continued)
