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Rock Canyon’s African-American students experience a very di� erent environment from their white counterparts. In honor of Black History Month we took a glimpse at what it is like for some students to look di� erent from the crowd. For the most part, Americans like to believe that rac-ism is dead. February is Black History Month, a month dedicated to celebrating the progress of African-Ameri-cans. Even in the full swing of Black History Month racism is still present in society. Beyond the streets of Highlands Ranch and into our own school, racism remains as a common form of bullying and a� ects the lives of many students in our community. Two students in particular, have their own stories to tell about their experiences with racism at Rock Canyon.

Betrayed by a friendIn August 2007 Noni Campbell experienced her � rst

day at RCHS. She was nervous, like any student would be walking down foreign hallways and seeing faces she had never met before. � ese faces though, as she watched from the corner of her eye, didn’t look as wel-coming as she would have hoped. But she held her head up high, prayed for the best, and managed to survive the � rst day.

� e staring, though, became a daily routine; every passing period she could feel cold glares watching her as she walked from class to class. � e whole � rst half of the semester went that way and Noni began to get the feeling that she wasn’t very welcome. Sure she had made a couple friends and met a few cute boys, but overall school wasn’t something she could call pleasant.

But this was only the start of her problems, and until those � rst ca� y remarks were said, Noni thought the harassment would end at glares.

“[� e harassment] wasn’t ever anything physical. It was times when girls would say ‘oh you had to have got those jeans from a black store to � t that big of a booty’,” she said. “You know, li� le things like that.”

It was strange to hear racism so openly, especially coming from a background of mixed race schools. So at � rst Noni wasn’t sure what to do. Her mind screamed to defend herself, to say at least something back, but she was shy and her mouth remained shut.

“I wouldn’t say anything and would just take it. If I could do it over,” she said with a laugh. “I think I would have go� en into a � ght, like everyday.”

But as time went on and the comments got more rac-ist, it became increasingly harder to hold all her frustra-tions in. Eventually she began to con� de in her mother as a daily counselor. Every day a� er school, they would sit down and just talk. Noni would share her daily stories and her mother would give the best advice she could.

“I remember sometimes the harassment was so bad

I would beg my mom ‘please, don’t make me go’ just because I was done with having to spend each and every day with [racist behavior]. I mean, who really wants to deal with that?”

Skipping school became her only way out and her grades began to fall, from A’s and B’s to C’s and D’s. Her self-esteem wasn’t far behind, either.

Eric Burrage, a childhood friend, noticed a di� erence in Noni’s morale a� er she moved to the school. “Noni became a lot more quiet and she always looked mad in the hallways,” he said, “like she hated being at Rock Canyon.”

� ings got progressively worse. She wanted to join the cheer team but was discouraged by other students and never tried out.

But her breaking point came near homecoming. She was walking to the bus stop when a Jeep full of students, two boys and two girls, pulled up to her. At � rst she didn’t understand what they wanted, but then they began to taunt her. “� ey started yelling at me, ‘we hate you! We don’t want n***ers in this school!” she said bi� erly. “� at was when I decided that I really was done with it.”

It wasn’t long a� er that Noni discovered the root of her problems. Surprisingly, it was a friend, who was really an enemy in disguise. “She was always saying racial slurs to my face, but I ignored it and just thought we were friends. But behind my back she was ge� ing other people to start harassing me.”

� e Campbells involved the police and pressed charges on the girl. Despite the fact there was no other legal action taken, Noni still can feel the emotional scar-ring.

“I’ve seen that girl, one time when I was with my boyfriend. I want to � ght her in some ways.”

Not much later, the Campbells decided it was in Noni’s best interest to leave Rock Canyon. She moved to � omas Je� erson, where she has found success both socially and academically. “I have friends of all races now and we get along really well,” she said. “I mean I have Indian friends, an Ethiopian friend, [and] Asian friends.” And with a smile she said, “And all my grades are back up to A’s and B’s.”

Now, when Campbell looks back at Rock Canyon, she sees all her troubles as a learning experience. “It makes me stronger because now I can help people who go through similar situations,” she said.

But if she could do it all over, Noni wishes she would have never a� ended Rock Canyon. “Don’t get me wrong, its not like [RCHS] is a bad school. Actually it’s

got an amazing curriculum and it teaches kids [well]. But the students there can be very materialistic and I have been raised to not be a materialistic person.”

Her advice for other students: “I tell them to just choose their ba� les because racism, no ma� er how much people say it is over, it isn’t. I know who I am, and what my upbringing is and it helps me stick to that.”

Square in the jawRobert Anderson dealt with racial diversity for the

whole time he a� ended Rock Canyon.For Robert, being African-American was hard in a

school like Rock Canyon, where he was part of a small number of black students. “I wanted to be around other people,” said Robert, “but I always felt singled out, like I could never completely connect with the other Canyon kids.”

Being surrounded by racist jokes day a� er day didn’t help him either. In one of Robert’s classes his sopho-more year, there was one student who continually shared racist jokes with the class; with African-Americans as the brunt of the jokes. At � rst Robert just laughed o� the jokes, but it was not long before they began to get under his skin.

A week later, the student from his class continued making racist jokes and Anderson could take no more.

“He just kept joking about stereotypes of blacks,” Robert said, “and I had just been hearing it for so long and I was so sick of it, I just snapped.”

He punched the student square in the jaw. What felt like years of racial insensitivity from his classmates had caused Robert to lash out with violence. � e two wrestled, punched and kicked for about ten minutes before faculty members broke them up.

Both Robert and the other student got suspended, but that didn’t bother Robert.

“I was actually really proud of myself for � nally stand-ing up instead of taking it. I don’t regret it,” he said. “I was just so done with the crap.”

But even though he felt somewhat be� er a� er the � ght, the racial di� erences still a� ected Robert. At the beginning of his junior year, Robert transferred to � omas Je� erson High School.

“I just felt like it was more culturally diverse. It is a place where there are people like me, and I don’t have to be the minority or worry about being so di� erent from everybody else.

Dani Burrage and Taylor Pe� away

Rock Canyon’s African-American students experience a very di� erent environment from their white counterparts. In honor of Black History Month we took a glimpse at what it is like for some students to look di� erent from the crowd.

Being pushed out of the crowd

By the #s1475 The total number of students at

Rock Canyon

5% The percentage of “Asian or Paci� c Islander” students at RC(33.6% of surveyed students perceived this correctly)

.2% The percentage of “American Indian or Alaskan Native” students at RC

88.2% The percentage of “White, Not Hispanic” students at RC

1.4% The percentage of “Black, not Hispanic” students at RC(83.1% of surveyed students perceived this correctly)

4.8% The percentage of “Hispanic” students at RC(44.6% of surveyed students perceived this correctly)

4 The total number of “American Indian or Alaskan Native” students at RC

1302 The total number of “White, not Hispanic” students at RC

art by Alex Rowe

Rock : What should a student do if being harassed?Redler: “If someone says something you don’t like, whether it is sexual, racial, or something else o� ensive, the � rst step is to ask them to stop. “If you are being harassed the antagonist has to know it o� ends you for it to be � led as harassment. If it continues, talk to an adult, not just counseling, it can be anyone you are comfortable with. “When harassment is reported the assistant principal will confront the antagonist, [and will] decide what punish-ment is � tting. “The main thing to do is to let an adult know, possibly even your parents if you are most comfortable with them. As long as it is someone who can help, it’s just important to get help quickly to avoid the e� ects of bullying.”

Compiled by Curtis Stuck

Q&AWith Counselor Sheila Redler

“It is hard to come to a school being a minority, but Rock Canyon has been a place where I [may not feel] a hundred percent welcomed but mostly feel welcomed. “People don’t treat me horribly but maybe not as fair as the people who are not minorities.”

–Brittany Hill ‘10

“I feel that I have been embraced into the Rock Canyon community.” “My peers sometimes act irresponsibly but it hasn’t reached an uncomfortable point. “I love white people!”

–Chris Dixon ‘12Compiled by

Paige Hesen and Austin Frankel

QuotedAfrican-American students who have enjoyed their time at Rock Canyon