Project by: Samuel McGee (10th Grade)
Project Advisor: Charline Cruz-Cerdas
Student’s Advisor: Jessica Tan
Description of the Project:
The mission of this project is to cover the homophobia and lack of ethics at my previous highly religious school compared to LREI’s progressive education. In doing so, I hope to give others the courage to confront hate and divisiveness in their own education and beyond.
Final Website: Click the image below to access the site
https://sites.google.com/view/old-politics-in-a-new-era/home
Final Reflection on Learning:
While researching and interviewing students and faculty from both schools, I realized several fundamental differences between Christian and Progressive educations. Schools in the South as a whole have more deep-rooted traditional values, instilling primarily Republican ideals. As opposed to a progressive education that allows students to decide their own beliefs. One thing is quite evident, the school you attend can make an enormous difference in your life and impact your attitude towards minorities in a positive or negative way.
Update on Progress from Weeks 1-3 (include any photos or video if relevant):
Throughout these first three weeks, I have sent out a survey about the role of personal beliefs in the classroom to the entire LREI high school. I have created a website to display the surveys and interviews I will conduct throughout the honors project. I have interviewed Allison Isbell and have compiled interview questions for my previous school.
Current Polling:
Update on Progress from Weeks 4-6 (include any photos or video if relevant):
In these weeks, I have been changed course and am not interviewing BCS students about their experience at this school and comparing and contrasting pooling results. While new interviews and polls flow in, I am focusing on updating my personal website with this information. In the few interviews I have completed, people came forward and said that the school is not only homophobic, but the students make racist comments towards others.
Quotes from Allisons Interview:
Update on Progress from Weeks 7-9 (include any photos or video if relevant):
In the last weeks of my honors project, I am repeating the same steps that I have been doing since weeks 4-6. While meeting with Charlene, we have discussed all the possible ways this project could go in these past weeks. We have both come to the conclusion that I should stay with interviewing the students and Allison Isbell. One interview had stuck out to me when the student who wished to remain anonymous says that they face racism in the classroom regularly.
