Walking in her shoes
‘View 360’ helps DSHA students shatter stereotypes

By Tracy Rusch
Special to your Catholic Herald

ARCHDIOCESE OF MILWAUKEE – Each of the 656 girls attending Divine Savior Holy Angels High School has her unique perspective on life — Catholic, non-Catholic, African-American, white, rich or poor. Her perspective is the result of the family in which she was raised, the people she’s met and the experiences she’s had.

Part of the goal at DSHA is to educate the whole person, but Deb Mueller, dean of students, director of student activities and math teacher, said that some of the issues, like diversity, are “bigger than the classroom.”

That’s why the school spent two days conducting its first educational forum titled, “View 360: DSHA Perspectives.” Classes were cancelled so that the students could view the movie “Crash,” which displays overt racism and illustrates the connection between life experiences and a person’s perspective; participate in “Boxes and Walls,” a tour of seven rooms where students participated in activities to experience some existing stereotypes and prejudices; listen to a panel comprised of DSHA graduates who shared their perspectives and how DSHA had an impact on them, just to name a few of the activities.

“(‘View 360: DSHA Perspectives’) came out of a look at our student population, whose diversity has been changing over the last few years,” Mueller said. “And a recognition that our students need to be aware of that diversity within our population and, really, throughout the world — what a gift it should be and that we should try to understand it.”

Judie Gillespie, DSHA theology department chair, junior and senior theology teacher and part of the planning team, said that though the school’s population is becoming more diverse each year, many students come from similar backgrounds and live in communities that are “still very white.”

“The kind of beneficial learning that comes for any of us with being … with people who are different from us does not occur as naturally at Divine Savior Holy Angels,” she said.

Lucia Aquino, DSHA senior, said the most common existing perspectives among DSHA students are of white girls coming from privileged families.

“The majority seem to come from Catholic grade schools and are used to a rather homogenous school community,” Aquino said in an e-mail. “Not to say that the girls are all sheltered, however, in my experience, it seems as though many of the girls are not exposed to the world outside the suburbs.”

“Boxes and Walls,” originally a college-level activity that was modified for the high school level, showed students what it’s like to live with religious intolerance, or to be defined by stereotypes based on sexual orientation, color and gender.

In the Latina Room, students sat in desks arranged in groups of three or four. The middle group of desks was labeled, “Latina.” The front desks at the left of the room were “Irish,” and the way right, “German.” “Other Ethnicity” labels took up the desks in between.

After the introduction, Wisconsin Lutheran College junior Erica Ortenblad, one of about 16 actors recruited through the Milwaukee Repertory Theater Outreach program, walked around the room and stopped at the Latina desks.

“So, you had your quinceañera this weekend, right?” Ortenblad said. “That’s when you have a big party to celebrate your 15th birthday? Well, did you have bodyguards there to control all the gangs?”

Then, she walked to the table labeled, “Other Ethnicity,” and said, “You had your Sweet 16 this weekend. Everybody knows you get a car when you turn 16; what kind of car did you get?”

Sophomore student Maureen Boyle said though she liked learning about the different cultures and the challenges they face, the Latina Room had the most impact.

“Just because someone’s Latina doesn’t mean that they do all the cultural things that Latinas do,” Boyle said. “Not everyone has a quinceañera, like not everyone has a Sweet 16, too.”

Sophomore Haley Ruch said the Women’s Room affected her. In the Women’s Room, Vince Pelligrino, a junior at Wisconsin Lutheran College, and 21-year-old Deleono Johnson, who were also recruited through the Milwaukee Repertory Educational Outreach program, posed as owners of an architectural firm, and asked the young women for their help in making plans for a new building. They explained that their top guys were out of town, and that they were relying on the women’s help as a last resort.

“Could you check on the blonde over here?” Pelligrino said as he pointed to a girl. “See if she has anything more than circles on her page.”

All comments were demeaning to women, except for Ruch, who was targeted by one actor. He asked her for her phone number, gave her special treatment and tried to get a date with her – hers was the only drawing that the “bosses” kept.

“I thought I’d be really confident in that kind of situation,” Ruch said. “But once he talked to me, I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know what to say or anything and it was just really uncomfortable.”

Boyle and Ruch said the “Boxes and Walls” experience helped them realize the importance of understanding others’ perspectives.

Aquino said that viewing “Crash,” was her favorite part of the two-day forum.

“I’ve always felt that it is one of the most socially important films that everyone should see,” Aquino said. “I think many of the girls at my school hold the common prejudices displayed in the movie, and I really think ‘Crash’ can open eyes and force people to look beyond these stereotypes.”

“View 360: DSHA Perspectives” was an important event for the school, according to Aquino, because people should not rely on stereotypes as their only perception of other cultures.

“This event hopefully showed girls that stereotypes are never true for every individual of a specific group, and we should all look beyond what we expect of someone and really learn their true intentions and opinions,” she said.

Mueller said DSHA plans to do a View 360 every other year, focusing on different topics.

“The most important thing for me was to open students’ eyes and minds to consider other perspectives,” she said.

DSHA student Elizabeth Wachniak, left, writes a commonly heard ethnic stereotype on a sheet of paper posted outside a classroom. Her actions were part of an exercise during “View 360: DSHA Perspectives” at Divine Savior Holy Angels High School, Feb. 3. ___________________________________________________________________

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