February is Black History Month and Mahopac High School’s Racial Inclusion and Cultural Empowerment (RICE) Club aims to bring all Mahopac students together in the spirit of inclusivity. Mahopac High School’s Principal Patrick Keevins met with members of the RICE Club to discuss their experiences and what the high school is doing to support students while providing a welcoming environment.
“Our parents send us all to school to get an education. My mom says that to me all the time, that’s the first priority,” said RICE Club officer Erika Billingsley-Perez. “Students need to feel safe and know they aren’t going to be treated poorly in order to focus on their education.”
Keevins listened to students as they relayed their experiences and that of their classmates. The students shared moments where they were on the receiving end of hateful comments. Keevins shared his own experiences with students who struggled with discrimination in his position as a coach in another district.
“Several years ago when I was a coach in another district, my players experienced discrimination when we traveled to other schools,” said Keevins. “For the first time in my life, I saw it happening to my students, my players, and I saw how it affected them.” Influenced by this experience, Keevins found a passion in working to ensure the safety of his students and in creating a positive learning environment for all students. He also described what the Mahopac Central School District is doing to create a welcoming and affirming environment for all students.
“I was really excited to hear that this is an important topic to the rest of the administration, not just me,” Keevins said. “The District is following through with a plan to improve the experience of all of our students.”
With support from Southern Westchester BOCES, a District equity plan is being developed. The first focus will be on "Creating a Welcoming and Affirming Environment" for all. Conversations are taking place about how best to foster a positive and supportive culture at each of Mahopac’s schools that will allow every student to reach their full potential. Staff will be brought up to speed on what every teacher and administrator can do to enhance the experience of learning in Mahopac. The presentation to the Board of Education on this topic can be found here: Mahopac CSD Equity Plan Update 12.2023.