PART I: RESEARCH ON CONTEXT/COMMUNITY INQUIRY

ACTIVITY
General Observations
The Halls
The halls of Cottonwood High School are boisterous and busy. During the mornings, lunch, and
after school, students cluster together to chat with friends. With the new addition of 9th graders,
the hallways are more congested than previous years. In addition, the campus is also home to
AMES, the Academy for Math, Engineering, and Science. This public charter school leases a
hallway that includes several classrooms and adds nearly 500 more students to the building. This
can put strain on what space is available.
Lunch Time
Because of the large Cottonwood High student population augmented by AMES, and because
there is only one lunch period, students spread out during lunchtime because the cafeteria cannot
hold the entire school. Cafeteria tables are crowded. My theatre mentor teacher, for one,
welcomes students to eat their lunch in his classroom (provided they dont make a mess).
Fortunately, I did not observe many students sitting alone, or any students treating each other
badly.
Dress
For the most part, the high school students at Cottonwood High dress how you would expect.
Jeans and T-shirts are common. I also noticed a lot of plaid button-ups as well as converse
sneakers. It was difficult to parse out affluence without visible clothing labels. Additionally, its
also common for students to wear their earbuds throughout the day (which I noticed led to
several behavior issues in class). Female Muslim and refugee students were distinguished by
hijabs and long, flowing, often ornate skirts and dresses.
Language
In general, the conversations outside of the classroom were fairly positive or neutral. While
profanity is often used by the students in the halls, its rarely used in an expression of anger.
Many different languages can be heard in the hallways of Cottonwood High. Because the school
is home to the Newcomer Refugee Program, approximately 40 different languages can be heard
spoken here. Ive also noticed that new popular slang is lit.
Interests
Again, the interests the students express are not unexpected for high schoolers. I overheard many
conversations about texting, pop music, weekend plans, opinions about teachers and other
students, complaints about homework, movies, and social media (Snap Chat in particular).
Groups
Groups at Cottonwood High are most easily identified by language and dress. English Language
Learners and refugee students are regularly seen in the company of others who share their native
language. As mentioned previously, some Muslim and refugee students dress in a particular way.

Students participating in afterschool sports or activities were also delineated through clothing.
On the day of a football game, cheerleaders would dress in their uniforms and the football
players would dress professionally in a white button-up and tie. Student officers of particular
school clubs, like drama and debate, would stand on in their class officer jackets.
Territory
Student group territories are most visible in the Fine Arts wing of the school. Students who
belong to drama, debate, band, or choir, spend a great deal of time in their respective classrooms
and in that particular hallway before school, during lunch, and after school. I did not observe any
territorial tension between groups as of yet.
Classrooms
Students display far less energy and enthusiasm in the classrooms than they do in the halls of the
school. Cell phones and iPods are often the cause of behavioral issues in the classes. The topics
of conservations in class are the same as those I described under the interest section. If
students were allowed to select their own seats, they choose to sit with those that they spend time
with outside of the classroom. Based on my English placement, it appeared to me that SPED
students and students with IEPs, while mainstreamed, were more or less tracked in the lowest
level of the English courses offered (English Fundamentals). I did not see any students with
exceptionalities treated badly. In the English Fundamentals class I observed that students worked
with one another well despite any disability visible or otherwise.
Synopsis
Cottonwood High is an incredibly unique school. While it is located in a community that is
mostly white and socioeconomically middle- to upper middle-class, it is incredibly diverse due to
the refugee program and open enrollment policy. Students come from all over the valley and all
over the world. While this can present challenges, it can also promote empathy between disparate
groups and a greater understanding of the world at large. So far, most of the interactions I have
observed between students, and between students and their teachers, have been positive besides
typical, minor disciplinary issues.
Additional questions I have concerning the school include:
1. What resources are available to the many English Language Learners at the school?
2. Are Special Education students generally mainstreamed at Cottonwood? Are they
tracked?
3. I did not notice any tensions between groups at Cottonwood. Is this generally the case at
the school? Or, perhaps, this is explained by the fact it is the beginning of the school year
and cliques are less solidified?

Student Shadow
Julie
The first student I shadowed was Julie. One of my mentor teachers recommend her as a good
student who would be open to me following her for a day. She is Caucasian, comes from a
working-class family, and is a senior at Cottonwood. She has a bubbly, energetic personality. I

observed her during Psychology, American Sign Language 3 (ASL), and Beginning Theatre
classes.
In Psychology, Julie sat in the back corner of the classroom near another student, who I knew to
be her friend. During the class, the students took a test and took notes on a lecture. Because of
this, the interactions between Julie and her teacher and peers were not extensive. However, none
were negative. She completed her exam quickly and later assisted her friend and another girl
sitting near her with note-taking. She remained on task and attentive during the entire class
period.
The next class I shadowed Julie in was ASL. She sat at a table with several other girls she
appeared to be friends with. Mrs. Perkins, her teacher, asked her to sign her answer to the starter
in front of the class. While I dont remember much from my undergraduate ASL class, it
appeared to me that Julie was confident in her response and had a good grasp of the language.
The remainder of the class was spent in groups, where the students were instructed to draw a
fictional town on a poster board that would be used in a later activity. Julie assisted in planning
the drawing, but mainly took a back seat as two of her group members drew on the poster board.
Beginning Theatre was the last class I observed Julie in. The class was completing the
construction of paper mache masks with a partner. Julie worked intently and carefully on her
mask.
Both of my mentor teachers have had Julie previously as a student. Each had high praise for her
and remarked that she is a responsible, hard-working student. When I asked Mrs. Perkins if I
could observe Julie in her ASL, she replied that she wished more of her students were like Julie.
With Julie, I believe it is incredibly important as her teacher to provide her with assignments that
challenge her and provide her with opportunities for leadership.
Caitlin
The second student I chose to shadow was Caitlin. She is a quieter student, and I selected her
because I feel that students like her are less likely to receive the attention of their teachers (either
positively or negatively). She is 10th grader of Asian descent. I shadowed her during English,
World Civilizations, and Beginning Theatre.
English was the first subject I observed Caitlin in. As I had noted previously, she was subdued in
class and did not participate in class discussion. However, she stayed on task and even jumped
ahead on a few assignment questions. From what I was able to see of her work, she understood
the concepts that were being taught. She also appeared engaged and tracked the teacher with her
eyes as she spoke.
World Civilizations and Beginning Theatre followed in a similar pattern. She attentively listened
to the instructor during a lecture and stayed on task during an independent work. During this
time, two students asked her for clarification on the assignment. She was quick to help them. In
Beginning Theatre, she participated in a whole class warm-up game. Afterwards, the students
presented their Lip Sync performances. While Caitlins group did not perform this day, she took
notes during the presentations as requested by the teacher.
Caitlin seems to be a hardworking student, but not eager to put herself out there. Because she is
not initially outgoing in the classroom, I believe it would greatly benefit her teachers to make a

point of talking to her and discovering her interests. While she completes her school work, I
think knowing what she is interested in and finding ways to weave that into the curriculum
would help her to come out of her shell and more easily participate.

The Surrounding Community

1. What is something that shows the natural beauty of the area. The nearby mountain range
is incredibly beautiful.
2. What is something that shows the area is changing? Although predominately white, the
area is becoming more diverse over the years. Based on the information I found via the
Utah Community Data Project, the minority population has grown by several percentage
points, from 8.2% in 2000 to 13.7% by 2014.
3. What is something that shows growth in the area? Just a block away is a new shopping
center, sports mall, and gym.
4. What is something that is kid-friendly? There is a laser tag arena, Laser Quest, near
the school in Midvale.
5. What are the local businesses? Local business in the area include several dental offices,
insurance companies, law firms, veterinary hospitals, fitness centers, and a variety of low
to more high end restaurants and shops.
6. Is the community proud of the school? What do they seem to be most proud of? The fine
arts department at Cottonwood does a great job at promoting their performances. At a
local Beans and Brews, a poster advertising the upcoming school musical was displayed.
7. How diverse is the community? While the school itself is incredibly diverse (nearly 50%
minority students), the immediate surrounding area is mostly white and middle-class.
8. Where do people work? According to City-data.com, the most common occupations of
those living near Cottonwood High include more white-collar careers in business,
finance, and sales.
9. How do people spend their leisure times? Nearby entertainment includes a movie theatre
(Cinemark Century 16), and shopping and dining at the nearby Fort Union area.
10. What is something that surprised you about the area? I was astonished when the school
counselor I met with informed me that many parents living near the school send their
students to Olympus High, instead of Cottonwood.
11. What is something you feel could be improved about the area? I feel the above attitude
should be changed and the diversity present at Cottonwood High School should be
embraced by those that live in the immediate area.
12. Is there something about which you would like to ask the people in the community? I
would like to ask those parents who choose to send their children to Olympus rather than
Cottonwood more about their reasons for doing so.
Synopsis
I would like to begin this synopsis of the surrounding community with a quote from Amanda
Calton, the school counselor I met with for this assignment, Cottonwood is not a community
school. As mentioned previously, students who attend Cottonwood High come from all over the
valley and the world. Teenagers of color make up nearly 50% of student body. I was incredibly
shocked to find out many local families chose to send their children to Olympus High School,
rather than Cottonwood. It was implied to me that this was because of how diverse the school is.

I hope that more community members would realize the benefits that diversity can bring to
education, or that they have alterative reasons for sending their student to a farther away school.
Since Cottonwood is not a community school, I believe there is more research to be done
outside of the scope of this assignment. In order to better incorporate my students funds of
knowledge, I would need to find more about where they come from, whether it is another city or
another country. I could accomplish this by creating a student background and interest survey. I
could include questions about where they are from and things they enjoy doing. In doing this, I
could have a better sense of my students funds of knowledge. In a similar vein, many of the
students at Cottonwood are Hispanic immigrant or refugees from the Middle East and Africa. In
order to better engage these students, I need to utilize culturally relevant lesson materials. In
addressing the needs of the diverse population at Cottonwood High I need to additionally provide
representations of people of color. My classroom reading materials, instruction, and lesson
activities should reflect the diversity of my students.