What's recently happened?
In the South Bend Community School District (SBCSC), there are six high schools: Washington High School, Riley High School, John Adams High School, Clay High School, Rise Up Academy, and South Bend Virtual School. Although students are assigned a home school, they can attend the school of their choice. This led to uneven distribution of student population in schools throughout the district.
Searching for a solution, SBCSC proposed the “Facilities Master Plan,” which proposed closing a high school to fix the issues the district is facing. The district offered three scenarios; keeping four high schools open, three high schools open, or two high schools open.
In Scenario A, all four high schools would remain open while vacating two elementary schools, Warren and Muessel. This plan was desired by many people in the community, as it kept each high school open and offered a sense of stability.
In Scenario B, Clay High School and Warren Elementary would be closed. The scenario caused controversy throughout the Clay High School community, as many students and staff felt that their school was unfairly chosen. Additionally, many worried about the fine arts magnet and multitude of career and technical education (CTE) courses that Clay High School housed.
In Scenario C, two high schools would remain open, closing Warren Elementary, Jackson Middle School, Clay High School, and repurposing Riley High School into Riley Middle School. The proposal caused concern throughout the South Bend community, as many feared the loss of the programs each high school offers.
The district sent education planner HPM and architects Fanning Howey to study each scenario, and they ultimately recommended the closure of Clay High School. On April 17, 2023, The SBCSC school board voted to close Clay High School with the majority vote of 4-3.
Although Clay High School is set to close after the 2023-2024 school year, many students have already begun to transfer to different schools. Many students left the district all together, transferring to schools like Mishawaka High School or Saint Joseph High School. Regarding the programs exclusive to Clay High School, they would be transferred to Riley, as well as all incoming freshmen who had enrolled into Clay High School.
In the upcoming 2023-2024 school year, Clay High School wants to celebrate all of the accomplishments students and staff have achieved over the decades. From endless musicals and plays to sporting events, Clay High School has made a monumental impact on students; giving them a safe space to express their creativity and discover themselves.
What’s coming up?
Summerfly has become a long-standing tradition throughout the SBCSC. Summerfly exhibits the talents of students from all high schools. Additionally, the program offers students the opportunity to earn one Fine Arts credit.
“The Prom” is based on the real-life story of Constance McMillen; a lesbian student that was prohibited from attending prom alongside her girlfriend. Itawamba Agricultural High School told the couple that if they attended the prom together, they would be thrown out. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) advocated for the couple, which resulted in the prom being canceled.
However, McMillen sued the Itawamba County School District. The ACLU stated that the district was violating the American Constitution by preventing the couple from attending. The district lost the lawsuit, and was ordered to pay McMillen $35,000 and pay her attorneys’ fees, which amounted to $67,265.50 and $14,400 in expenses, along with generating a procedure that protected students from discrimination regarding their sexual orientation and their gender identity.
“The Prom” is about Emma, a senior at a high school in Edgewater, Indiana. As prom approaches, Emma plans on bringing her girlfriend with her. Her community is homophobic, and her school’s PTA attempts to block her from attending the prom, but are told that there would be legal repercussions if they only ban her, so they cancel the prom.
Four Broadway actors – DeeDee, Barry, Trent, and Angie – have been facing criticism because of their out of touch behavior. They decide they need to seem charitable, and to achieve that they need to find a good cause to contribute to. As Emma’s heartbreaking story draws media attention, the actors decide to help her. The four are insensitive and inconsiderate, but soon they begin to understand her suffering and form a genuine bond and mature emotionally.
Emma, played by Saint Joseph High School’s Margaux Hannewy, is frustrated that she is the cause of her prom being canceled, when all she truly wanted was to be herself. Hannewy has never participated in Summerfly, but is in love with the program.
“I love participating in Summerfly,” she said. “My favorite thing about rehearsals is when we have those small moments when we’re in the middle of blocking or learning a dance, and me and the other actors joke around in character, or just be silly and try to make each other smile. It’s a great community, and I’ve made a bunch of friends.”
Shelly, played by Clay High School’s Auggie Sanders, is the sarcastic and hilarious PR agent who serves as a paid babysitter to the four washed-out Broadway actors.
“Summerfly is my favorite part of the summer,” Sanders said. “Being with fellow actors and adults that love what they do is the highlight of my June, even if it is the majority of my June. I recommend Summerfly to anyone who wants to try something new and daring. The results will be 100% rewarding.”
Community member spotlight:
Dalila Huerta was born in Chicago, Illinois, the youngest of three children. Huerta’s parents are from Michoacan, Mexico and they met in Pilsen (a neighborhood in Chicago) where they also got married and settled to raise their family.
Huerta majored in history with minors in peace and justice studies and in global studies. For graduate school, she studied material culture and museum education and has continued to study and train in restorative justice since then. Huerta spent her entire career teaching and exploring history, art, and social justice and has worked with all ages, from early childhood to adulthood.
Huerta chose to work in museums after she discovered that she did not want to be a history professor.
“I always loved history and loved teaching, so I originally studied in a PhD program in history but quickly realized that I enjoyed working with the public much more than working in academia. I applied to a different graduate program that specialized in material culture and museum education and fell in love with the field,” Huerta said. “I love discovering new insights with people as we explore art and objects in museum collections or all around us. We come to understand our lives, our society, and our history better when we learn how to ask questions and understand how the many layers of power, choices, and interrelated systems interact to produce things we normally take for granted.”
Through one of the museum programs Huerta led, she encountered restorative justice circles, and it completely changed her trajectory. She now works primarily with schools, in addition to cultural institutions like museums, and leads restorative justice training and circles with teachers and students.
“The circle process allows people to come together to have deep dialogues and form relationships in a way that I have never experienced before,” she said.
There are many layers to restorative justice circles, but the basic purpose is to come together as a community, share space, and learn from each other. For community-building restorative justice circles, Huerta focuses on sharing values, stories, building connections, and exploring topics that are important to the group. This relationship building helps to form bonds and mutual concern. If harm should occur in the community, a repair of harm restorative justice circle can bring together the people impacted by the harm to decide how that harm should be repaired. The circle offers support in making amends and focuses on developing accountability.
Huerta created a program called the Racial Justice Institute, which allows students to explore history, art, and restorative justice circles all in one day. It combines everything that she loves and creates a space for students to understand themselves, their world, and their own power. Huerta has been leading the program for over six years, and it is always the highlight of her year.
Additionally, Huerta co-leads the Clay youth circles, which includes training interested students and helping them plan and write their circles. She is also active in the school’s restorative justice implementation team and often participates and helps plan staff circles.
The Clay youth circles Huerta has done have been student led; which means that the students are trained circle keepers and they design the topics to be discussed. Most topics have dealt with mental health concerns like anxiety and stress. They offer peer support and create a welcoming, non-judgmental environment for students like themselves. Circles have created a space and time for students to discuss the issues that matter the most to them.