A strike date has been set for May 20th and what do seniors Catalina Marysol Jacobo, Ethan Tamayo, and Andre A. do? They don’t watch it unfold, they lead a revolution.
A walkout organized for Friday, May 10th, 2019 was first announced by word of mouth (and text messages and direct messages) the day before. Word gets around fast and is further amplified by walkout information slips passed out by multiple students on campus.
The organizers planned the walkout in an effort to highlight a few key issues. First, teachers are people with lives and families to provide for. Second, to show how this is affecting community members by their children not having a safe, guaranteed place to be during the day. Also, they wanted students to realize how many senior activities (i.e. cultural/club graduations) could be affected.
Students gathered in Colt Court at the end of 6th period where the actual act of walking out the school, down H street, and onto Alvarado-Niles Boulevard to the New Haven District Office, began at 2:27 p.m. Prior to leaving, the crowd was given instructions. “Please stay on the sidewalks, we want this to be safe and organized, you’re not only representing yourselves…you’re representing our teachers–the same ones you’re fighting for,” senior Catalina Jacobs said.
“I’ve been in this district my whole life and teachers have always accepted me for identifying with the LGBT+ community 100% of the way,” senior Mhylia Castro shares in regards as to how teachers have been crucial to her support system at school.
As students made their way to the district office, a loud roar of honking is heard the whole walk there. This is due to signs that say “Honk if you support our teachers.” The energy of the students is strong and rowdy at times as they get excited and start cheering when cars honked persistently. Parked cars with families, parents, and guardians in them look on, honk, and clap for students as they walk by.
Signs at the walkout included those that read “My Education > Your $”, “Fund Our Future”, “NHTA says no to cuts”, “Stop Mismanaging Our District”, and “Teaching makes all jobs possible”.
Another way students got their point across were chants such as “Pay our Teachers”, “Who are we? Students! What do we have? Power!” and “When I say cut back, you say fight back! Cut back! Fight back!”
Once at the courtyard of the district office, students gathered at the doors where an open mic was in place for students to voice their concerns.
“Shame on them and shame on them for their power and money and not putting it back into the community!” senior Matthew Lam exclaims.
While statements from Logan students were the most prominent at the walkout, high school students across the four grade levels were in attendance as well as a handful of middle schoolers. This strike affects everyone, teachers who will be without pay (on top of the distress of already being paid an incompetent salary) for every day they strike, students who will not be learning and following a consistent lesson plan, high school seniors who will miss out on crucial, iconic senior activities, cultural and social graduations (apart from the official high school graduation), and community members who may find trouble in finding a place to have their children go to during the strike.
Students! You’re probably now asking, well what can I do? Not coming to school, although it shows support to teachers, will not be harming the District as they’ve already sent in their budget for next year. The New Haven Teacher Association and many students have offered suggestions to support teachers such as joining the teachers’ picket line, donating snacks and water to fuel our teachers as they persist on the picket line (directly to their strike location or bring donations to room 529 before May 20th, 2019), and calling or emailing the School Board and Superintendent Arlando Smith. All of these are voluntary
Instead of enjoying and soaking in the last school weeks we have together, teachers and students are finding themselves stressing over when their next paycheck will be and if school activities–that students earned and anticipated their whole academic career–will be canceled.
“I must say, the way this district is treating our teachers is despicable, it is disgusting, and it is completely disrespectful. I wouldn’t have the morals and values I have today if it weren’t for these teachers. Some of these teachers get up at the 3 in the morning–some living all the way in Sacramento–to come here because they care about us. We have to use our voices,” says senior Jeremiah Riley.
