By Khamani Mitchell & Tyrone Beckford, with reporting by Elijah Canton
On November 20, BILA had its first movie night this year in the library, held by librarian Ms. Davis for community bonding.
But it would be interrupted by an unannounced evacuation drill. Students who exited the building to get their phones stood outside for thirty minutes.
Ninth grader Matthew Exea said that he wasn’t impacted by the evacuation drill. “It shouldn’t have been delayed because it was planned in advance,” he said.
However, about thirty students and staff still gathered for the movie night.
We asked students and staff why they showed up even with the unplanned evacuation drill. Ninth grader Armani Henlon said, “I just came here to watch a movie and have some fun.”
Ms. Sanon, BILA’s speech teacher and the Young Royalty Step Team coach said, “Well, what brings me here is to support my colleagues. Definitely to support the students who want to be in the movie night. I love being involved in the school.”
The next movie night on Friday, December 19 will be holiday themed to celebrate the holiday season. The cost of the movie night is two dollars which comes with refreshments and popcorn. The movie night will start at 2:30 and end at 4:30.
The school will watch Home Alone, a movie about Kevin McCallister, a kid who was left home alone, leading to him having to take down two burglars who were robbing his parents home while they attempted to return home to Kevin.
There was a vote for which movie was going to be watched, here are some of the honorable mentions made by students and staff.
Ms. Sanon said, “I would pick something lively, maybe Home Alone,” following up with “maybe even the Grinch.”
Tyller Mullings, a tenth grader, said that he wanted to watch Nightmare Before Christmas.
Not every student wanted to watch a Christmas-themed movie. Tenth grader Jean Bazelais said, “It would be World War Z or The Conjuring.”
Reporting by Tyrone Beckford, Aaron Dixon, Lisandra Frias, Elijah Canton, and Marshanette Brown
What’s your name and what’s your position here at BILA?
Mr. Sweeney. I’m a Global History teacher at BILA. I teach half the tenth graders.
What are the top 3 things students/teachers bicker about?
Bathroom, giving students enough notice on assignments, and eating in class.
What’s your favorite cuisine?
That’s a hard question. It’s gotta be a Manhattan slice of pizza. When my friends who aren’t from New York come here, I rub it in every time.
What’s a hidden gem activity or experience at school that more people should appreciate?
We take for granted how awesome our Library is. It’s crazy a lot of students don’t get to use it – only during lunch or not at all. We have an awesome librarian – many schools don’t have as good of a library, or have one at all.
What do you consider iconic?
Every song by Queen.
What’s your impression of every grade?
I have a ninth grade advisory, and I’d consider them positively energetic. Tenth grade is diligent. Eleventh grade is outspoken. The seniors are self-directed, self-managing, and self-controlled.
What’s your go-to song?
“Love Remembered.” It’s a song from the original Dracula movie. I probably listened to it 2,000 times last year. It’s all about love forsaken.
If you could be doing anything else right now, what would you be doing?
Just last season the Wingate Generals baseball team was barely active and struggled to stay together. But thanks to the effort of a few students and staff, the team is back.
This story looks at how close Wingate baseball came to being shut down and how a new group of players, coaches, and supporters are working hard to keep the team alive and build something stronger for the future.
Mr. Corrado, who stepped in as coach, recalled how close the team came to being shut down entirely. “Last year, there wasn’t even a team. To the PSAL, it looked like the school didn’t care about the sport.” That impression almost cost them everything. Due to a scheduling conflict with a school trip to Washington D.C., players were absent, and Corrado had to spend two days on the phone with the PSAL commissioner just to convince him to let the team continue. “I had to be the one to save it.”
Following that, BILA’s administration backed the effort with resources. BILA Principal Ms. Henry-Stephens said,“We provided whatever resources they needed equipment, uniform and staff. We paid for Mr. O’garro to be the assistant coach.” She said she just hopes to see “a winning team!”
Junior David Perez, who plays pitcher, catcher, and shortstop, embodies the heart of the team. “The coaches are good, even if we lose games, he’s positive about it … If [the team] was gone, I would be sad because I enjoy baseball, even though it wasn’t my first sport. It’s really fun.” Like many of his teammates, David sees this season as a beginning. “It’s everyone’s first time, so next year we should be a better team.”
Also for Junior Tristen Scott, joining the team wasn’t even about the sport itself. “I’m not into baseball, but I saw the team needed help,” he said. “Coach motivates me to do better and wants me to try hard every game. I hope the team can reach the playoffs someday.” His willingness to contribute, despite not really liking baseball, reflects the spirit forming around the team.
Team manager and junior Deyaniri Gomez also has a personal reason for being involved in the team. “I wanted to be a part of the team as a player but couldn’t because I’m a girl, so I became the manager,” she was also concerned for the state of the baseball team as a whole.“I was really scared the team was going to be disbanded. I genuinely wanted a baseball team.” When asked how the team can improve, she wasted no time: “If the players went to practice and took it more seriously, they would win. The coach needs to be harder on the players.”
“I always liked coaching,” said Mr. Corrado. “The goal is for the team to be competitive and fun to be on. The players are good; the only problem is experience. No coach can just take over a team and make them great in a flash.”
He’s still encouraged by their progress though. “They’ve gotten so much better in a short span, so imagine what they can do in a few years.” He credits several people for assisting him in coaching: Cutaneo who is an experienced player and helps Mr. Corrado with drills along with coaching in general things Abdul and O’garro who help with coaching on the field. Mr. Corrado describes it as a sort of good cop bad cop situation.
BILA’s baseball team is still a work in progress. But behind every practice, there’s a group of students and staff who refuse to let the team disappear and who are determined to make it thrive.
From the evening of March 29 to March 30, Eid al-Fitr, which literally means ‘festival of breaking the fast’, is an annual Muslim festival celebrated by our BILA Muslim community, marking the end to Ramadan – a month-long period of fasting. Muslims worldwide gather with family and friends to exchange gifts, feast, and partake in a day of renewal and gratitude.
During Ramadan, vital members of our school community who belong to the Muslim faith go on a journey of spiritual reflection. This includes fasting, abstaining from certain activities and willingly sacrificing their meal times during hours of sunlight to grow closer to God and empathize with the less fortunate. Despite these challenges, they continue to show up to school each day, putting their best foot forward. Their dedication and resilience deserve our recognition and respect.
What Transpired
The Student Council put together an event to celebrate Eid with our Muslim-faithed community, which was scheduled on April 10 after school, the Friday before Spring Break. This thoughtfully planned gathering would have inevitably sent the school community off with new connections, deeper understandings and – above all – joy and togetherness.
“I think it’s a great opportunity to bring all students together to share food, make memories, and it’s a moment of joy and recognition for students who mostly go unnoticed. Most of these events were attended by non-Muslim students who came to support,” said Ms. Nahar, ninth grade English teacher and co-advisor of Student Council.
This event was designed to give us a deeper grasp on what Eid means to our Mmuslim peers.
A student celebrating Eid in the 2019 celebration
According to Marionette Augute, member of Student Council, “Eid is practically to represent those who are Muslim, to just educate people on what’s occurring within the Muslim community. Eid actually started in 2019 here in BILA. And ever since then, Eid is meant to be an event to welcome those who are Muslim and show them that you are seen in BILA.”
However, the event was abruptly cancelled due to religious imbalance.
Ms. Nahar and Ms. Bhehaspat at the 2024 Eid celebration
In an email to the Student Council advisors, administration wrote, “In order to be equitable to all of our stakeholders, we will postpone the Eid celebration until we can plan an interfaith celebration. … This can be a learning opportunity for the whole community. Or, we will not have any celebration at all.”
Easter, which takes place on Sunday, April 20th, a religious holiday celebrated by our larger Christian population, falls fairly closely to Spring Break. Administration felt as though that it wasn’t given as much recognition as Eid was being given, and that if one religious event was being celebrated then the other should too. It was a both or none situation.
Many community members felt as though this approach was unwarranted and unfair to our minority Muslim population within a predominantly Christian community. They believed that, as a minority group, Muslim students should be given the opportunity to express their culture and educate others about practices that they may be unfamiliar with.
Reactions to the Cancellation
Some staff and students sensed that their voices and beliefs were being suppressed, fueled by growing anti-Islamic prejudice growing in the political climate, and spoke out against it.
This decision mostly affects our Muslim population and it is their right to be represented as part of our diverse school culture. “I feel very sad because it was supposed to represent my culture and they just cancelled it. I was so excited to go to it. And I’m so disappointed by the admin’s decision,” an eleventh-grade member of our Muslim community, Asarar Suhail, adds.
A collage of students and staff celebrating Eid
Mr. Mohamed, who is one of our Muslim mathematics and history teachers, expressed his discontent by saying, “I heard about the change, and it immediately reminded me of the ‘All Lives Matter’ response to Black Lives Matter—a refusal to give marginalized voices space without centering the majority. Postponing the school’s Eid event for Easter feels like a quieter version of that…From what I understand, the Eid celebration has been held for years, so it’s hard not to view this as a reflection of today’s broader political climate where even basic recognition of underrepresented communities is framed as exclusionary.”
“Ms. Ali and I were surprised at this last minute change because it had already been approved. And this is an event that has been anticipated and requested by students every year,” says Ms. Nahar. “This is the first year that it has been pushed back. We have been celebrating it since 2019.”
Kashawn Wright, a tenth-grade student who is not familiar with Eid al-Fitr and is new to BILA from the SHR merge, explained, “I don’t really know what it is since I’m not Muslim but I wish I had the chance to go so I could be educated on it…I wanted to eat with some of my Muslim friends.”
Students like him were meant to be enlightened on the holiday, and to be part of intercultural exchange efforts, but are unable to due to the unexpected circumstances.
“I was really looking forward to doing some henna. That’s so unfortunate,” another student remarked.
2019 Eid celebration
The Student Council was called “narrow minded” for not including the other celebrations as part of the event.
Auguste adds on, “Many people believed that it being postponed just to collaborate it with Easter celebration was not unfair, but … more unneeded.”
“I think that it’s unfair that the decision to have a joint celebration wasn’t brought up before approval was given to do the Eid celebration. I do think it would be better to celebrate all the cultures that are experiencing holidays at the same time with a joint celebration because it could be a nice way for others to learn about other cultures,” said Ms. O’Mealley, a Global History teacher who taught at School for Human Rights last year. “But since the Eid celebration had already been sanctioned, why wasn’t that thought made then? Because we knew that Easter was coming up, we also knew Passover was coming up; all of it could’ve been together so that students and staff could’ve had a larger, more interconnected event and for all of it to be postponed last minute feels like a mean thing to do, in general.”
At the time of printing, The BILA Wave was unable to receive a comment from administration. The article will be updated to reflect any statements from administration on the online version of this article at bilawave.com. Though Eid’s postponement may have caused great discouragement for many, the silver lining is that students and staff have more time to plan out the event.
On February 2, Brooklyn Institute for Liberal Arts’ (BILA) Assistant Principal Mr. Hunt and his family welcomed a new baby boy. As Mr. Hunt navigates his second journey into parenthood, he shares the joys, challenges, and life lessons that come with raising two children. From the pressure of raising a son to the importance of setting boundaries with technology, his experience offers valuable insight for both new parents.
When asked about how becoming a parent again differs from his first experience, Mr. Hunt shared that it’s easier this time around, as having another child, especially another son, shifts his priorities. He explained that his focus has moved from being self-centered to ensuring his household, particularly his children, are taken care of. “You become less self-involved when you have someone else to care for,” he adds.
The arrival of his second son has also made him more aware of the pressures of fatherhood, particularly the responsibility to raise his sons to be good men. With two boys now, he feels the need to be even more vigilant and thoughtful in his approach to parenting. Mr. Hunt admits that during his first experience with fatherhood, he felt nervous and uncertain, confessing, “I did not enjoy having a baby the first time.”
However, as a parent who already has the experience he finds himself enjoying fatherhood more. “I’m not nervous this time,” he shares, that he enjoys this baby more than he did his first son when he was a baby. He says he feels more comfortable now because of all the practice and experience he’s gotten, explaining, “I think bonding with the baby happens a little later with the father. The first time, there wasn’t much bonding, but this time, I enjoyed the process more.” He says, “Don’t tell my first son that!”
Having experienced parenting a newborn twice, Mr. Hunt offers practical advice for future parents. His message is simple: “Have fun,” he believes the world is a big, wonderful place for children to explore. He encourages parents to let their children experience some hurt, it’s an essential part of learning. Mr. Hunt also advocates for a minimalist approach to baby products, suggesting that parents don’t need as much as they’re often told.
Additionally, he is passionate about limiting screen time for children, “I think it’s irresponsible for parents to expose their children to smartphones and social media.” He plans to keep his sons’ childhoods “phone-free” for as long as possible, emphasizing that he wants them to play, read, and interact with friends in person, believing phones can wait until they’re at least 14. The most rewarding part of parenthood is watching his children grow and develop. While he hasn’t yet seen much of himself in his sons, he hopes to avoid passing on his mistakes, “You have kids in part to correct the mistakes you made.”
Becoming a father has also strengthened his relationship with his wife, as he shares, “We’re closer than we’ve ever been before,” recognizing the challenges and joys of raising children together.
To end it off, Mr. Hunt offers some words of wisdom to the children of BILA that he loves so much:
Transgender Day of Visibility came to be on March 31, 2009, due to the fact that there weren’t many days which recognized the trans community with the exception of Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR). TDOR is a day that celebrates the life of transgender people who were unfortunate victims of violent transphobia. This day was made because an African American transgender woman, Rita Hester, 34, from Hartford, Connecticut was murdered.
In Boston, Massachusetts, there is a mural for Hester called Rita’s Spotlight, which was created by a Latinx Caribbean artist Rixy.
Rita Hester was neither the first nor the last trans person to be harmed by transphobia, and today there are still many Trans people who are harmed and/or killed each day. A more recent example is the story of Nex Benedict, a transgender teen who tragically passed away after being attacked in their school’s bathroom.
The only way to stop this violence is for people from every community to come together, not just the trans community.
However, transgender people wanted a day to be heard and to be proud of their identities, not just a day to mourn. So, Rachel Crandall Crocker, a transgender activist founded Transgender Day of Visibility.
When a student here at BILA, Shayla (they/them, tenth grade) was asked about the gender binary, they said: “I think that I’m in between. I think differently. Nothing should have a gender label put on it.”
What Does Being Transgender Mean?
In this section, we’ll discuss several identities that fall under the umbrella term transgender, and discuss some of the different pronouns (she/he/they/other) that they may use. If you don’t know someone’s pronouns, just ask!
Transgender
The majority of people are cisgender, which means your gender identity matches the sex you were given at birth. In other words, if you are cis, you were born a female and you identify as a girl or woman (usually using she/her pronouns), or you were born a male and you identify as a boy or man (usually using he/him pronouns). When somebody identifies as transgender, that means that their gender identity is different from the one they were assigned at birth. Some transgender people may receive medical assistance to medically transition from one sex to another, this is known as transexual, but many prefer to simply identify as transgender.
Nonbinary
When someone identifies as nonbinary , they don’t identify with the male or female binary. Typically nonbinary folk use different pronouns than most people, an example of the pronouns you might see nonbinary folk use is the pronouns they/them/theirs. Some may even use neopronouns, like ze/hir/hirs, which are pronouns that are different common pronouns such as she/her/hers or he/him/his.
Intersex & Intergender
Intersex and intergender individuals typically happen to be similar, however they’re not quite the same.
What Issues Do Trans Folks Face?
According to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), trans folks face higher rates of poverty, lack of healthcare coverage, lack of legal protection, inaccurate identity documents, and stigma, harassment, and discrimination. Trans people experience violence at rates far above their cisgender counterparts. According to the HRC, “Over a majority (54%) of trans people have experienced some form of intimate partner violence, 47% have been sexually assaulted in their lifetime and nearly one in ten were physically assaulted in between 2014 and 2015.” These statistics are only a brief look at the tragedies faced by transgenders, which is exactly why TDOV is so important. TDOV allows transgenders to have the attention and support they need from their communities.
How We Can Celebrate Trans Visibility Day
There are many different ways to celebrate or honor any holiday, but TDOV is a day focused on celebrating trans pride, which some people may not know how to do. Below are several examples of how to celebrate and enjoy TDOV.
Art: Despite all the actions taken to highlight transgender’s talents, many hard working artists go unnoticed due to constant transphobia. Thankfully Mushroomy is combating this transphobia by highlighting trans artists as well as original artwork by transgender artists.
Music: TDOV gives us a chance to put trans musicians in the spotlight. If you’re into broadening your musical horizons check out Billboard’s article about current transgender and nonbinary musicians.
Protest/Marches: To celebrate TDOV a trans owned non profit organization, NYC Youth For Trans Rights, organized a march that will take place on March 31st in Union Square Park, Manhattan.
Issues Faced by Trans Youth
Many young trans people, especially students, may face bullying or harassment. Health Partners, in an article, about transgender mental health, wrote, “Many trans people have one or more mental health disorders.” Of these mental health disorders, trans youth are largely impacted by anxiety. This is sadly because of the harsh treatment they are likely to receive at school, and even at home and while all trans youth face these issues, trans youth of color are disproportionately affected by these problems. TDOV seeks to give these youth a day where they are appreciated rather than shamed.
Famous Trans Celebrities & Historical Figures
There are plenty of famous trans people but not everyone is aware of that due to the lack of coverage that the trans community receives. Here’s a list of ten distinctive famous and historical transgenders .
Marsha P. Johnson (Liberation activist, LGBTQIA+ activist, and drag queen)
Lili Elbe(Painter, received first documented gender affirming surgery)
Elliot Page (Actor, film producer, and LGBTQIA+ activist)
This section is for any LGBTQ youth seeking help with shelter or mental health issues. It can be hard to find help in your community, that’s what BIlA Wave is trying to change with this article.
1-866-488-7386 to speak with a trained counselor at The Trevor Project. The Trevor Project is a suicide prevention hotline devoted to LGBTQ youth.
1-800-273-8255 to speak with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline connects people in crisis to counselors, free of charge, across the United States.
1-800-273-8255 to speak with a counselor from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention provides resources and research to prevent suicide.
The National Runaway Safeline for confidential and affirming support: 800-786-2929. They also offer text and email support, and a forum for peer discussion.
The Ali Forney Center is dedicated to housing LGBTQ runaway and/or homeless youth. The Ali Forney Center serves youth ages 16-24 in New York City.
Pride for Youth provides services and advocates for LGBTQ youth in Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk counties.
Ever had a bad day where you felt all odds were against you and you had no one to talk to? Well say no more! Visit the Wellness Room! A wonderful place — a judgement free zone — where you can pour out your feelings and share your thoughts, our social workers there to guide and understand you every step of the way, showing that they care.
Why is mental health so important?
Day by day, we notice that young teens — our peers and acquaintances — are battling mental health issues by themselves. The rates of teens suffering from anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues are sky-rocketing, becoming more frequent than we’d like to admit. Shockingly a whopping 50% of all lifetime mental illnesses begin at age 14! Beyond that 42% of teens experience persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, and 22% of teens have seriously considered attempting suicide, according to the Compass Health Center. Nobody should have to endure these tribulations on their own, there should always be a helping hand that you can rely on, whether that be in your school community or at home.
BILA’s Contribution
Just this year, Brooklyn Institute for Liberal Arts established a room specifically for students to freely express themselves and seek comfort. You may have seen this room as you pass by on your way to class, with our two social workers sitting at their seats or mediating with a student. Many school staff i.e teachers, admin, support staff, have limited knowledge about how to support students’ mental health; that’s where local school social workers come in and act as conduits between community mental health foundations and willing students.
As reported by the UCLA Center for Transformation of Schools, “A wellness space provides students with a physical space to focus on self-care, develop healthy coping habits, and reduce their levels of anxiety and stress.” Having this outlet at our school has the potential of helping many students get the help they need.
Ms. Teclai, aka Ms. Tec, is our very own social worker. Ms. Tec, says, “BILA’s Wellness Room is a place where we’re able to speak with students regarding their social-emotional issues. Anything relative to their mental health. Or they can use this space as a way to emotionally regulate or regulate their moods. If there’s any time that they’re feeling angry, upset, or they feel overwhelmed, they can use this space.”
Who Will You Expect to Meet There?
You may see your friends, classmates, random schoolmates, and other teachers coming by here-and-there, but the main faces will be our social workers. They conduct boy and girl groups on separate days during the week; and private sessions when a student just needs to vent.
There, you can find Ms. Tec, whose official job title is a social work supervisor and site manager. You can find her at her seat, either deep in conversation with a student or with a cheery smile whilst talking to her colleague, Ms. Vincent.
In addition, Ms. Vincent is our social work intern and she’s here with us on Mondays and Wednesdays, always looking forward to getting to know her students. She’s also usually conducting private sessions with students or engaging in conversation with Ms. Teclai.
You might be rushing to class when you catch sight of one of the social workers sitting opposite to a student, looking very serious with the door closed. That’s how you know it’s a private session and it’s rude to intrude.
Ms. Tec explained, “We give them some space. We ask them if they would like to talk to one of us and then when they do agree to talk to one of us, we ask if both of us can be present. If not, the other person leaves the room and we’re able to have more personal conversations with the students about what it is that’s bothering them.”
What To Know !
Located in Room C231, the Wellness Room is an open space where all students are welcome. Ms. Tec elaborates on this saying that, “It is on the second floor. It’s the room with all the comfy couches inside of it, so you can’t miss it.”
At lunch, groups are held where students as a collective can come together and express themselves. “We also hold groups. Groups, but based off of peer-mentoring, which is a place for students to learn about mediation, and being a mentor. There’s groups like girls groups. We’re separating them because students have different lunches, and then boy groups as well,” Ms. Tec unravels.
Ms. Tec adds on, “If you are feeling unwell and you need a space, then we’re here; we’re present. Ms. Vincent is here on Mondays and Wednesdays, and I’m here all days of the week. So…and of course Ms. Philip is here all days of the week as well.”
One student, Allison Dodard (B9), supports this by saying, “When I think about the wellness room, I feel like it’s a safe place to be and you can talk about how you feel. You can tell people about you or how you feel about the school, and if you’re in a bad mood or you wanna let your emotions out, the wellness room is the right place to do that.”
This week, The BILA Wave sat down with Mr. Pfaeffle, our dedicated Biomedical Science teacher, who has been shaping minds at BILA for nearly a decade.
Reflecting on his journey to teaching, Mr. Pfaeffle shared how he wasn’t always the ideal student. In high school, he focused more on sports than academics and took an unconventional path by attending community college and working full-time.
Over time, he discovered a passion for learning and decided to pursue a career in education. Choosing biology for its flexibility, he realized he could make a meaningful impact on students’ futures.
When asked about the most rewarding part of teaching Biomed, Mr. Pfaeffle lit up. “When I hear, ‘Oh, oh, oh!” that sound of students getting it – I love it,” he said. He describes himself as a “facilitator,” helping students find solutions independently.
For him, the biggest takeaway isn’t just science content, but life skills. He hopes students leave his class better prepared for their futures, equipped with problem-solving skills, self-agency, and the confidence to tackle challenges.
Outside the classroom, Mr. Pfaeffle describes himself as a “suburban dad,” balancing teaching with family life and DIY home projects. From building decks to planting shrubs, he’s constantly learning new skills just like he encourages his students to do.
His parting advice to BILA seniors? “Be nice and work hard.” Wise words from a teacher who truly leads by example.
The BILA Wave asked students and staff at Brooklyn Institute of Liberal Arts: what is your favorite part about fall and spooky season?
Lamar Williams, B11
I just got here from Jamaica, but I like seeing the aesthetic of leaves falling on the ground; it’s really pretty.
Mrs. Attard, Literacy teacher
Am I allowed to say it? I actually hate the fall because I dread the winter. So the fall for me means the winter is coming. I appreciate Halloween and the cute little kids and their costumes. But it makes me sad, especially as an adult and as a teacher, I really dread the winter. I get the winter blues so when fall starts happening, that means winter is coming. I want to enjoy the fall, but because I have that dread in my head, it prevents me from really enjoying it.
Mr. Hunt, Assistant Principal
I love seeing people’s houses and doors decorated with Halloween decorations, as well as their cars. I like it; it’s fun. It means people don’t take things too seriously. I myself enjoy making lanterns.
Azariah Tonge, B8
My favorite part of the fall is apple picking because my favorite fruit is apples.
Interviews conducted by Keiera Calderon, Matthew Woolcock, and Sulaiman Toppins, Jr. Portraits by Smilee Cebert.
For the last two years at BILA, Mr. Leavitt’s students participated in voting pre-registration for 16-year-old students.
Yet this year’s candidates – along with other factors – are leaving many students hesitant. This presidential election season, the Democratic candidate is Joe Biden and the Republican candidate is Donald Trump. According to The Guardian, 45% of Americans believe the rematch between Biden and Trump will only hurt the country. This election is highly controversial amidst Trump’s criminal trial and Biden’s handling of the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
According to Mr. Leavitt, the turnout this year was much higher than last year, but there was some hesitation among students in both years. With my perspective as both a journalist and a student participating in his class, we had a conversation about where this hesitation stemmed from and how it impacted the results.
Leavitt: Fewer people wanted to register; I was very deliberate with what I had been teaching when we were going to register to vote because I wanted the students to recognize how important it is that they be able to voice their opinions in this way. I think this year went better. I don’t think that the students necessarily last year didn’t want to do it; I think there’s a little bit of the perception that registering and voting makes you old and boring or something. I don’t know, what do you think?”
Katelyn: I mean, I thought it was so cool; when you brought them out I was like: “Are we seriously doing this?” And I don’t know, I thought a lot of people thought of it as like, “Okay, now I have to vote,” and that’s not what it is. You can vote; you don’t have to. Having it there as a prerequisite can only help you. You can register and not vote ever. If you feel like you really need to vote a certain year, you don’t have, assuming that you didn’t move or something, at least you have that to fall back on. I thought there’s no harm in doing it.
Leavitt: Did you get a sense from your peers that they thought differently from you? Like they thought more like I was worried last year about a lot of the hesitancy?”
Katelyn: Yeah, I saw some. A lot of people saw it as too big of a decision to make right now. I even saw it when we talked about lowering the voting age (referring to an in-class debate we had on whether we should lower the voting age to 16); it seemed as though a lot of us don’t have faith in ourselves. Especially with the party thing (referring to the bottom of a voter registration slip where you can choose which party you’re affiliated with if you would like to vote in the primary election) at the bottom, I think a lot of people didn’t like that, but also, you just don’t have to vote in the primaries if you really don’t want to.
Leavitt: Or you could pick no party,
Katelyn: Exactly, yeah. I think a lot of us lack that faith in ourselves.
Leavitt: Yeah, I agree, and I think that’s part of why doing the class is important; I think normally, assuming everything goes according to plan, this is going to be offered to Seniors instead of Juniors, and I guess there’s a chance that doing it with students that are turning 18 might maybe make them more interested in doing it. I do feel the same way as you, a lot of people either don’t have faith in their own ability to make a good decision, or they don’t feel that at 16 or 17, they’re ready for that responsibility, but I somewhat think that it’s a like self-fulfilling prophecy, that if you don’t feel like you can do it, then you’re not going to be able to do it, but if you believe in yourself where you know that you’re going to have the responsibility, then you’ll start paying more attention to things because you know that it’s about to fall into your lap. Nothing changes when you turn 18, except for a number; it doesn’t change your mind or your brain or how much you’re paying attention to things; it’s a number.
When asked by students, generally no one wanted to speak about elections, being that the topic, especially during this election cycle, is quite taboo, not only because of the candidates but the influx of changes we’ve seen in the structures of our government. From landmark Supreme Court cases being overturned to international conflicts, anything regarding politics right now is a touchy subject.
Many students also simply find it pointless to indulge. B9’s Jeremy Ulysse explained that he feels “that such a crucial election is going to be negative no matter the turnout.” This amount of reluctance only reinforces the fact that we need to trust ourselves more.
Many of BILA’s students believe that it’s important for our voices to be heard. For example, B9’s Adebusola Adebiyi details: “I do think it’s important to use my voice because it’s personal. I’m able to express myself in my own way, which results in my own change.”
Also from B9, Cyril Sheppard details that he “finds it very important for us to be using our own voices to amplify our needs and wants because as the saying goes a closed mouth won’t get fed. Same goes for our current world; many individuals have voiced opinions but not taken matters into their own hands. It’s definitely not easy.”
As students, as young people and generally as humans, we are powerful. These students represent many, showing that we have the ideas, we just need to act. We have the ability to band together to create change, and it all starts with believing in oneself. That is one of the lifetime lessons other students and myself have learned from Mr. Leavitt’s civic engagement class. Everyone’s voice is one-of-a-kind, and each person can do something different to impact society.
The BILA Wave 