ROGERS -- A few hundred Heritage High School students pledged Monday not to let their differences become sources of conflict among them.
They took time during lunch to sign a custom 8-by-2-foot banner stating "Heritage United" in big letters, and in smaller lettering beneath that, "W.E. are one, divided by none." The initials in "w.e." referred to the initials of the school's mascot, the war eagle.
Heritage diversity
Here’s an ethnic group breakdown* of Heritage High School students enrolled as of last fall semester.
• White: 929 (48 percent)
• Hispanic: 879 (45 percent)
• Black: 30 (2 percent)
• Two or more races: 25 (1 percent)
• Asian: 23 (1 percent)
• Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 22 (1 percent)
- Percentages do not add up to 100 percent because of rounding.
Source: Arkansas Department of Education
Brig Caldwell, the school's student relations and community liaison, explained the banner's purpose to students.
"This is your opportunity to either write something out or just write your name as a pledge that you support unity as opposed to division," Caldwell said, speaking to several students who had gathered around the table in the Commons area where the banner rested.
Though most students simply signed their names, others added a heart, a smiley face or a short message.
"We are a FAMILY," one student wrote.
"We are all humans. We all make mistakes and we all learn," another student wrote.
Social unrest stemming from recent controversies at the national level led to the idea to have a unity pledge, Caldwell said.
Nearly half of Heritage High School's students are Hispanic. The election of President Donald Trump, who has advocated for tighter immigration laws, has led to some discomfort among that population.
"Particular kids have been coming up to us since the election back in November, and there have been a lot of questions. There's been some fear," Caldwell said. "So we wanted to ease that or at least address it."
As students observe adults bicker and point fingers over political matters, Caldwell said, "It was important to let them know that unity is important, and unity starts with everyone in your circle of influence, or people at your lunch table, people on the same bus, people in the same neighborhoods. We just wanted to emphasize that with a physical component."
Ella Mauch, a senior, designed the banner. She said results of the presidential election upset some of her friends.
"It has affected the school life around here a little bit. Hopefully, (the banner) will let people see we're all in this together," Mauch said.
Emily Orozco, a junior, was one of the students who signed the banner. Orozco, 16, said there are many different opinions at Heritage High, and that leads to spirited debates.
"I know a lot of people come from different backgrounds, so you can't just assume people are wrong all the time," Orozco said. "They have different ideas, and I just try to accept it. But I also try to tell them there are opposing opinions, so you can't just point at someone and say that they're wrong, because everyone's different."
Blake Holland, an 18-year-old senior, thought the banner was a good idea, though he said he doesn't think Heritage -- or even Northwest Arkansas as a whole -- has a problem with unity.
"We're pretty close-knit. It's like that southern hospitality thing," Holland said.
Caldwell said the school hasn't decided where to hang the banner.
The banner even garnered the signature of at least one School Board member. Sterling Wilson, who happened to be doing some volunteer work at the school Monday, took a break to add his name.
"It's kind of like what Abraham Lincoln said, 'A house divided against itself cannot stand.' That's a pretty good quote. Pretty smart guy," Wilson said.
NW News on 02/14/2017