OCTOBER EDITORIAL

Comparatively—DDHS should be proud

Posted Oct. 6, 2021

By Highlander Staff

Whether or not students of color and preference are equally represented at this school is a long-standing debate, and if you feel that DDHS does not honor or celebrate its diversity enough, consider what’s happening in the Newberg School District.

Newberg schools recently made the national news with separate but equally disturbing events. The policy subcommittee of the Newberg School Board approved a ban of political signage on all its campuses on Sept. 9, which included Pride and Black Lives Matter flags. It was then approved by the Newberg School Board for a district-wide implementation on Sept. 28. Then on Sept. 14, a Newberg High School student was identified as part of a nationwide Snapchat group chat titled “Slave Trade,” a thread that posted photos of Black students and joked about auctioning them off as slaves. On Sept. 15, the Southridge High School girls' soccer team knelt during the National Anthem before their game with Newberg, in solidarity with Newberg’s Black students. Finally, on Sept 17, Newberg's Mabel Rush Elementary School teacher assistant Lauren Pefferle came to school in black face, calling herself Rosa Parks, in protest of her district's vaccine mandate. She was fired on Sept 24.

Newberg's ills should make DDHS students consider the school they attend. According to Niche.com, DDHS is ranked top 50 in the U.S. for most diverse high school, and is number 3 in Oregon. DDHS is fortunate enough to offer an array of programs, clubs, and classes that acknowledge and embrace the different cultures and ethnicities that this school is home to. From the Black Student Union to the Muslim Student Union to the Latinx Student Union to the new Latin Studies and Black Studies classes to Pride Club, the fact that DDHS even offers these classes and clubs is sometimes overlooked, yet is impressive in itself. Even if these classes and clubs did not exist, DDHS has proven warm and welcoming to all races, cultures, genders, and sexual preferences. With a school containing nearly 2,800+ students, DDHS does an impressive job of inclusiveness, well deserving of its top 50 national ranking.

Now, that doesn’t mean DDHS doesn't have room to grow. Keep in mind that the world is evolving everyday, and there is only so much that a high school can do to accommodate on the daily. There are still so many holes to fill in terms of representation and expression to the point where it may take multiple years to even cover the basic bases. From more Asian and Pacific Islander representation, to better religious acknowledgment, to expanding LGBTQIA+ validation, DDHS still has its work cut out. Students should be encouraged to speak up about their identities and be proud to be who they are, regardless of social standing and their birthright. Teachers and staff alike should be encouraged, too, to speak up and make the smallest parts of their identities heard.

DDHS is far from the “picture-perfect" school. But Newberg's slew of racial and identity issues should only remind you that DDHS is taking giant steps to embrace lives and lifestyles that are too often demonized and marginalized by hateful communities. The conversation surrounding race, sexuality, and gender are far from over at DDHS, but this school should celebrate the work its accomplished—and the work yet to come.