The walls throughout Westerville North High School have long celebrated students for their academic and athletic achievements, as well as their contributions as a Warrior.
But when staff members, who were invited to examine photos in the building through an equity lens, looked closer at the patterns of the images, they were concerned by the messages they implied.
“Essentially, to earn Outstanding Senior, you had to be a white student,” WNHS English teacher Aaron Taylor said. “If you were a person of color, the only way to have your photo grace the walls of North was through athletics.”
“We all admitted that some of that lack of representation was simply due to a change in demographics over time, but we also concluded that we could do something to shift what we see.”
For months, Taylor worked with Assistant Principal Shayna Wade-Argus to bring representation to the images displayed throughout the building. Earlier this month, they unveiled the We Are Warriors project, which showcases portraits of students who reflect the diversity and demographics within WNHS.
The project is funded through money the Treasurer’s office has earmarked to support school equity initiatives through the District Equity Team. Taylor, a professional photographer who operates a portrait business, captured the poster-sized portraits that are now on display along the school’s locker row.
He drew inspiration for the project after reading a New York Times article about a town in Georgia that saw demographic change similar to what is happening at WNHS. A photographer from the community created building-sized portraits that portray the changing population of the town and hung them on the sides of buildings for all the citizens to see.
As part of the We Are Warriors project, he and Wade-Argus examined WNHS’ student demographics and invited teachers and staff to recommend students that represent every population and group in the school.
“We’re a super suburban high school but when you visit the high school and you get here, you’ll see it’s very diverse,” Wade-Argus said.
The 25 students invited to participate in the project are athletes and musicians. Some receive special education services, others are not involved in any activities. For a handful, their We Are Warrior portrait is the first time they’ve been featured in school.
The project, Taylor said, is about being seen.
“I wanted them to be proud of themselves, to show off their heritage or style, to see their beauty in a portrait for maybe the first time,” Taylor said. “I also wanted to show that everyone is beautiful, no matter their color, background, ability or anything else.”
Since he unveiled the project, students and staff have raved about the portraits and have been excited to see so many familiar faces throughout the building.
He plans to expand the project next school year by adding a second set of portraits. Eventually, he will take down portraits when a student graduates and put up new ones in their place.
“I am excited to see how the project grows over the years,” he said.