This year just feels different, especially when it comes to the positivity oozing from the coaches and players involved with our fall sports programs, shown in little statements like these:

This new school year has felt different for everyone for a multitude of reasons. No masks, new teachers, a huge freshman class. A key component though, is the new drug testing policy that MVHS administration has enacted.

Principal Dr. Josh Ladd describes the importance of this new policy saying, “Until now, we had no way of testing any student for drug or alcohol use; this responsibility was solely on the parents.” He also reveals that it wasn’t his or any of the faculty’s decision. “These kinds of decisions are made at the district level by the board of education,” he says, “They asked us to investigate this process and report back to them our findings, at which point they decided to proceed with this program.”

Although the rules are simple, it can get a bit confusing for some students. Dr. Ladd explained the drug testing procedure with ease stating, “The only students who may be randomly tested are those who sign a consent form.” This means that if students don’t participate in extracurricular activities or park on campus, they don’t have to worry about being randomly selected for drug testing.

The procedure is actually quite simple, too. Dr. Ladd explains that “each student is assigned a completely random number generated by a randomizing program,” which only he has access to. He says, “Once the company selects the numbers, I match that number with the name and we begin the drug testing procedure.”

MVHS is the “last of the 14 schools in the Big 8 Conference to start drug testing.” Dr. Ladd makes it very clear that this new policy is “not designed to catch students doing bad things;" rather, it's “to give students another reason to say ‘NO’ to drugs and alcohol.”

Over the summer we had several new faces come to MVHS. But not just with the students. We've also had several new teachers and staff members come to the school. An interview and a poll was done in order to introduce the new teachers and get them familiar with the school.

New English II and Honors English III teacher Ms. Tonya Brady shared that her personal and college origins include that she hails from Springfield and graduated from Missouri State University. She has been a long-term substitute at a high school in Springfield for three years. This will be her first year of having her own classroom. When she first came to Mt. Vernon, she said she was met with such kindness and hospitality. She said the environment was very friendly and welcoming.

Blatant racism is a growing epidemic in American culture. Is it working its way into the public education system too? According to the CDC, about 35.6% of high school students said they have experienced perceived racism. Perceived racism is when a student is treated differently for their race/ethnicity.

Having so many students feel targeted or ostracized in a place where they are supposed to feel safe has a real impact on their behavior and mental health. An article from the American Psychological Association states that “A variety of studies have found that even after taking achievement, socioeconomic status, self-reported behavior and teacher-reported behavior into account, black students are still punished disproportionately.” Not only are these students singled out, whether it be through blatant racism or implicit bias, they’re more likely to be punished and on average have more out of school suspensions than their white peers.

Mount Vernon High School’s Ms. Kami Eddington had a few things to say about her experiences with high school students. When asked how the respect for peers has changed since she was in school, she explained, “...I feel the majority of today's young generations do not respect each other, their elders, authority, or rank and positions. I feel these same young people feel like they can do whatever they want and be whatever they want and not have to deal with the consequences--good or bad.” She added “parenting, or the lack of parenting, is a huge part of this in my opinion.”