Overall my experience at New Rochelle HS was great because of the people I met (including former NRHS Principal Reggie Richardson), the teams I was a part of, and the knowledge I acquired.  One of the great things about NRHS is that they offer many AP courses, which have helped me prepare for the college curriculum I am working on today. However the school does need to improve its diversity in these AP classes. For a city and school district as diverse as New Rochelle - a school in which white people are a minority - it seems unfair that a majority of AP classes are majority white. I would always question why that was the case, and I still do to this day. I know people of color who are hesitant to even take AP classes because they feel that they do not belong; this is a systemic issue that the high school should address and change.  We need more people of color to not only be included, but feel included. My experience as an AP student undoubtedly helped me prepare for college, and I believe that the racial demographics of AP classes should closely reflect the racial demographics of the high school. That way, we can 1) eliminate the subliminal feeling of inferiority that people of color like me experience routinely and 2) give more minorities at NRHS an opportunity to create a foundation of knowledge and education so that they don’t have to further their careers one step behind. 

 

Griffin Brown

NRHS Alum Class of 2017