Last Thursday, when the Bellaire High School yearbook was released, the Carillion contained one Arab student's account about what has been happening in Gaza and its aftereffects after the October 7 Hamas terror attack on Israel.
For a school with a sizable Jewish population the lack of an accompanying perspective of how those students also have been affected by the ongoing attack and its aftermath was immediately criticized. The story presents how oen Arab student feels about what happened and the suffering and deaths of Palestinians. It does not include a similar account from a Jewish student although a chart at the top of the page does list the 1,200 people who died in the Hamas attack along with the number of hostages on both sides. .
Bellaire Principal Michael R. Niggli has issued a statement acknowledging that many in the school's community were disappointed to see only one side reflected in what he called a complex issue.
In the future, he wrote, there would be more review protocols put in place for the school's publications.
"I deeply regret that this created a circumstance where some of our students didn’t feel safe and supported in our school. We will work to prevent this from happening again."
He said the school would provide a revised yearbook to anyone who requested one.
Principal Niggl's complete statement::
"The Bellaire High School community is one of the most diverse schools in HISD. That diversity is one of our greatest attributes – it makes us stronger. The Carillon, our nationally acclaimed yearbook, is a source of pride for everyone at Bellaire High School, and when it was released last Thursday, many in our community were disappointed to see that it included content that reflected only one perspective of a very complex issue. As Principal, I was surprised and disappointed as well. It has been typical practice for the content of the yearbook and other student publications to be reviewed by their staff sponsor, but moving forward, we will expand the review protocols for these publications.
"Sharing our perspectives on difficult issues is a strength. We routinely come together to discuss and process difficult, complex issues. It is important that as a staff we provide guidance to students to include multiple perspectives on issues that impact different communities in such dramatic ways. I want to acknowledge that some in our school community were deeply distressed by the yearbook article.
"I’m disappointed that one of our most celebrated traditions might divide our community instead of bringing it together. But more than anything, I deeply regret that this created a circumstance where some of our students didn’t feel safe and supported in our school. We will work to prevent this from happening again.
"Over the last few days, I’ve spoken to our families, student leaders, religious leaders and alumni that have always supported our school. I told each of these audiences that Bellaire High School will do better in the future. I’ve reminded our students that we have an obligation to respect one another at all times, and we will continue to strictly enforce our Code of Conduct.
"We will provide a revised yearbook to any student who would like them, and moving beyond this issue, I hope this is the beginning of a much richer conversation about all the unique perspectives and experiences in our school. I am confident our students will rise to this challenge with resilience and empathy, and as community, we will grow from this experience."
