Many outsiders think that Albany High School is just a bad public school full of fights,violence, and poor education. Despite these accusations, a group of students in our school, the “Falcon council”, has created a diverse selfie wall to show the diversity at Albany High. I got to speak with a member on the Falcon Council, who said that they’re “doing this project for ADL [The Anti-defamation league]. We’re going to create a selfie wall and install it in Albany High… we’re also creating a collage to show all the students with different sexualities and ethnicities, for all people of different groups and categories, though we still have yet to decide where we’re going to put it.” I also asked what she thought about what some people say about Albany High. “Once you’re in Albany High it’s not really bad; there are people here who make it very habitable, but it depends on who you surround yourself with,” she responded.

I interviewed a girl named Ondia, another Falcon, who said, “ I think the initiative is a great step forward, and it enables us to turn our school around and change the perception of what people think of our school.” Another student, Esther, who is a part of the council, added, “I think it’s a pretty good thing because it brings a positive look on [sic] our school. I believe a majority of this school has good people… and I feel like when we do good things it doesn’t get broadcasted as much as the bad things, because the school already has a negative stigma. We plan on doing more diversity projects to hopefully make the school look better to people on the outside.”

As a student going to Albany High for the last three years, I was shocked to witness the events that took place on December 7th. The news, however, created a poor representation of what our school really is. As a result, everyone around the capital region looks down upon our school even further because of these events and the way the news perpetuated it. Albany High School is a great school with a lot of staff and administrators who care about the students and their education. Albany High School is a great school with lots to offer. This project is a great step forward, because it shows the unity and the pride the students of the school. We the students must be the change we want in the world and in our community.