Editor’s Note: This is part two of a three-part series about the changes OHS has experienced in the past year since the lockdown on  Feb. 11, 2019. This article is not a comprehensive summary of the whole event; whereas the focus is on administrative action and school-wide changes.

There is no doubt that the tension within students has decreased with proactive administrative action; however, the concept of empathy, respect and understanding of others has yet to be seen in the student body. Racism and disrespect are still present at OHS, despite the significant action that the administration has been developing. However, we can’t expect to see a parallel universe appear in one year after relationship building has just begun its journey in this community of students. A change of culture requires time to break down the social barriers built by injustice and prejudice that has been built up over the years of OHS and in society overall. 

The administration of Owatonna High School has made efforts to create a more welcoming culture. Different groups have been created to give students a voice, including Diversity Inclusion Group (DIG) and Mixed Roots Group. Mixed Roots focuses on celebrating different cultures and ethnicities, and DIG is a discussion group that is designed to reduce racism. In preparing this interview, Magnet staff needed to be mindful of students’ experiences. Some students believe that there has been no change in the culture of our high school. There is a lack of connection between the administration and these students because the greater community of Owatonna which influences the culture of the high school has not had the same changes implemented. The goal is to create a bridge of empathy between the students in order to decrease derogatory language, but there is still a lack of connection between administration but that can be bridged through teachers’ relationships and training. 

The culture at OHS cannot be expected to change over the course of one year. It takes a lot of time to change the way a small group of people acts, so it is unrealistic to expect 1500 students to change and feel a 180-degree shift in culture. What the administration has done is put culture-shifting practices in place to help, and with the support of student body leaders the culture will swing in favor of inclusion and bring about change.