These Students Fought For Change This School Year. And Won

"I, for one, am extremely uncomfortable being quiet and compromising," 18-year-old Sierra Iames told the Orange Unified School District Board of Education at its April 13 meeting.

Iames was protesting the fact that her principal at El Modena High School had said she couldn't bring representatives from Planned Parenthood to a campus Democratic Club meeting.

Iames ended up getting the meeting back on track. She fought the power and won — as did many other young people this past school year.

As they head off to summer jobs, college plans, and future rabble rousing, here are six Southern California student leaders and their tips for making change.

The musician

Emmani Arterberry Bey’s junior year at Dorsey High School was a time of transition.

“I was kind of on my own, learning, like, more about myself, and trying to make new friends,” Bey said.

Emmani Arterberry Bey, Susan Miller Dorsey Senior High School '23

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Pablo Unzueta

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Bey grew up listening to music— reggae, and her mom singing in the house. She picked up the trumpet in elementary school and switched instruments after watching the movie Drumline in 6th grade.

“It just touches my soul,” Bey said. “Being able to play [drums], it's like you get to create so many different beats.”

But there were few opportunities to exercise that creativity in high school. Dorsey's performance music program had been dormant for years.

In fall 2021, Jasmyne Pope started as a substitute music teacher. Bey and a friend saw possibility in a small storage room attached to Pope’s classroom.

They asked Pope if they could hold band practice in the space.

“We were nervous,” Bey said. “She turned out to be really cool ...and she supported us with anything that we needed in the room.”

Cleaning crew

Bey and her friend moved stacks of spare chairs to the auditorium, threw out broken equipment, swept, and mopped. Pope brought in a rug and someone else found a couch.

Bey drummed and her friend sang. Their band Eurydice also included a guitarist and bassist. During lunch and sometimes after school, they created original music and practiced covers of artists from Nirvana to indie singer-songwriter Indigo De Souza.

“The kids would see us leave and they'd be like, ‘oh, what's that room about?’” Bey said.

Meanwhile, as LAist reported earlier this year, Pope collaborated with other educators at Dorsey to revive the school’s music program—just 1 in 5 California public schools have a full-time arts and music program.

Bey says the practice room became a “safe place.”

“Like out of the whole school, that place we feel we could be the most comfortable in,” Bey said.

This summer, Bey will have an opportunity to share what she’s learned as the drum teacher at a community park program. She plans to study arts and design at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College in the fall.

“I wanted to have a musical career, but I'm not sure exactly where to start with that,” Bey said. “I was just going to find it along the way in life.”

The question-asker

When students at Alliance Patti & Peter Neuwirth Leadership Academy reach senior year, they have the option to take a college-prep class.

“In addition to academics, I focus a lot on just what it takes to be an adult in the real world,” said Marshanna Valrie, who’s taught the class for four years.

Nazary Chicas, Alliance Patti & Peter Neuwirth Leadership Academy Class of '23

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Topics include college applications, financial aid, budgeting, how to find housing, and sexual health. Valrie waits until well into autumn to open the lattermost discussion so she can build rapport with the students.

“They know that this is a safe space to make mistakes, because this is also a safe space for you to correct those mistakes,” Valrie said.

Nazary Chicas wasn’t shy about speaking up in class. Among the questions she remembers asking:

• “Could people still get pregnant with the semen going in through their mouth? (No.) 
•  “Is the condom a 100% effective?” (No.) 
• “Can you get a sexually transmitted disease from a public toilet?” (No.)

Chicas said she’s talked about sexual health with her mom and there was another class in eighth grade. She said it’s a misconception that teenagers can’t have serious conversations about their bodies and sex.

“When you're young, it's, like, embarrassing,” Chicas said. “But as you grow older, you're like, ‘Oh, this is normal.’”

Valrie said Chicas’ questions and answers made it easier for other students to engage in class.

“Sometimes kids, if they hear it from an adult, it's like, ‘Ah, you're old. Get outta here,’” said Valrie, 29, laughing. “But if they hear it from a peer … it does tend to stick a little bit better.”

Setting boundaries

The class also talked about consent and respecting boundaries — “what they're OK with and what they're not OK with,” Chicas said.

Chicas didn’t want to get into details, but said it’s a concept that’s personal.

“I just know some people have gone through some things,” Chicas said. “They were taken advantage of and they were like not respected, which, like, hurts to know.”

Chicas graduated Wednesday and is planning to take classes in gender studies at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College in the fall.

As to a career?

“I'm still deciding, honestly,” Chicas said. She’s thinking about options in sex therapy, health care, or as an educator focused on sexual health and consent.

“It's like an important topic to keep everyone safe,” Chicas said. “Both, I think, mentally and physically.”

The student rep

The Orange Unified School District had a politically lively school year. The November election tilted the board conservative and soon after they fired the district superintendent with little warning.

Ruby Hewitt, El Modena High School Class of '23

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Jill Replogle

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LAist

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Ruby Hewitt, the newly elected student representative from El Modena High School on the district's school board, didn't waste time criticizing her colleagues for the flash firing.

"I understand there's been an emphasis on that this process is legal. That doesn't mean it's not a misuse of power," Hewitt said from the dais at a school board meeting in January. (You can see Hewitt speak here.)

Hewitt told LAist that she was especially troubled by the economic implications of the firing — the board also voted to hire an interim superintendent from out-of-state and pay for his travel and lodging while in Orange, and to hire a search firm to find a new superintendent. In contrast, Hewitt said, students had been told there was no money available for things like patching the holes in the walls of El Modena's dance studio.

"That's so, so, so frustrating because I know that I could have done a lot more with my high school experience had that money been there when I needed it," Hewitt said.

The position of student representative on a district's school board is often symbolic — student board reps can't vote. But throughout the school year, Hewitt logged late hours and carved out more space for student voices. And she made real change.

A matter of student safety

In March, Hewitt asked the board twice — once from the dais and once from the podium for public comment — to ensure that students feel safe to participate in board meetings and share their opinions.

Her ask was in response to a man who, according to district spokesperson Hana Brake, brought a handheld video camera to the March 2 meeting and trained it, at close range on Hewitt and another student board member, a minor.

"Student representatives don't have a vote in these decisions and most students aren't old enough to vote in the elections that put all of you in those seats," Hewitt said while addressing the board at its April 13 meeting. "When you tolerate behavior like that of the last meeting, you directly threaten protection of the one power that students have, our voice."

After that, the district moved security officers closer to student board members at meetings and established "media areas" where people can film at board meetings.

Hewitt said the experience has been draining. But she's also thankful for the ground-level view of politics.

"It sometimes seems like very, like philosophical problems," she said. "But now it's like I'm seeing all of this local politics firsthand and it's happening to me."

The organizer

Iames heads the El Modena High School Democratic Club. Earlier this year — as the club has for at least the past three years — she invited representatives from the local Planned Parenthood affiliate to speak at a meeting about youth rights to healthcare.

Shortly before the scheduled meeting, Iames said, the principal called her into the office and told Iames she needed to postpone the meeting because they had received threats.

Sierra Iames, El Modena High School Class of '23

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Hana Brake, a spokesperson for the district, said the school had gotten threats from outside the school community "that would cause substantial disruption to the school and the education process."

Iames said administrators told her she needed to take down her social media post about the meeting and refrain from advertising the soon-to-be rescheduled meeting.

Brake said administrators "recommended" that Iames refrain from posting about the meeting on social media "due to the disruption it seemed to cause," but didn't tell her she couldn't post about it.

Iames rescheduled the meeting for two weeks later — and posted about it on social media, "knowing my rights," she said. She also went to the school board and gave an unflinching speech during the public comment period.

"It's under disappointing circumstances that I address you tonight," Iames started. She had studied up on her rights, with the help of a lawyer friend of the family, and let the board know.

"Just as I respect groups such as El Modena's Women's League and Christian Club, who are welcome to bring guest speakers of various affiliations to campus and address their meetings without restriction, I expect respect for all clubs, including Democratic Club, to host speakers on campus during non-instructional hours," Iames said at the podium. (You can see Iames's speech here.)

She was citing what's known as the Equal Access Act. The federal law essentially requires schools to give all student clubs equal access and opportunity to meet regardless of the religious, philosophical, or political content of their meetings.

In fact, the district had prior experience with the Equal Access Act, in 2000, when civil rights groups sued on behalf of students who sought to form a Gay-Straight Alliance club at El Modena and were blocked by the district. The case was settled and students were allowed to form the club.

Planned Parenthood meeting canceled, again

On the day of the rescheduled meeting, Planned Parenthood representatives were already on campus when security escorted Iames to the principal's office, where was told, again, that she had to cancel the event.

Brake said it's not unusual for campus security to escort students to the office, but Iames said it felt "very demeaning."

At that point, Iames and her family asked for a meeting, which included El Modena's principal, an assistant district superintendent, and Iames and her father. After that — a month of bureaucracy on one side, and persistence on another — the El Modena Democratic Club was finally able to hold its meeting with the Planned Parenthood guest speakers, on May 7.

"We ended up having a super successful meeting," Iames told LAist. More than 45 students attended, she said.

What did Iames learn from all this? "Something my advisor told me and I really took to heart was that sometimes it's good to cause good trouble," she said, quoting legendary civil rights leader and former Congressman John Lewis, who died in 2020. "That when you are standing up for something that other people say is wrong, but you know is right, to really stick to your guns and hold out for it."

The influencer

Vivian Musacchia graduated from Rowland High School in 2022, but last fall she returned to the district on a mission.

Musacchia, who uses a wheelchair, wanted to raise awareness about the challenges faced by students with disabilities— and how the district could better address them.

Vivian Musacchia, Mt. San Antonio College

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In the 2021-22 school year, about 13% of all California public school students received services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

“I experienced more troubles with the school staff and other people in the school district,” Musacchia said. “My fellow peers have been the ones who have been the most inclusive and the ones always willing to help me.”

For example, there was the earthquake drill where Musacchia said she was left stranded while the rest of the school gathered on the grass because of a gap between the paved path and the dirt. Her classmates held her up while others carried her chair down onto the grass.

There were also the classrooms, too crowded with backpacks and desks for her chair to navigate. There were adults that asked “What's wrong with your legs?”

In September, Musacchia, armed with informational brochures, made her case during the Rowland Unified School District board meeting in the three minutes allotted for each public comment speaker.

“I am requesting that the board consider and or adopt a disability awareness policy,” Musacchia said to the board. “This policy has the potential to help current students as well as those in the future. Our school district can become a model for inclusivity.”

School board members typically don’t respond during public comment, but member David Malkin asked the district staff to follow-up.

Musacchia soon met with director of student services Annette Ramirez and counseling coordinator Saima Kazi.

“She showed tremendous courage in what she's done and the quest to help others too,” Ramirez said.

Musacchia settled on the concept of creating a series of videos to introduce teachers to disability terminology, the importance of classroom accessibility, and planning for students with disabilities during disaster drills.

The videos were shared throughout the district and Quazi said they’re considering including them in onboarding for new educators.

Earlier in June, the Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles celebrated Musacchia’s work with the Gold Award, a recognition of public service equivalent to Eagle Scout.

Turning to TikTok

Musacchia is now a student at Mt. San Antonio College and makes more humorous, yet still informative, videos about disability— and cats— under the social media handle VivsAdaptiveLife. A black foster kitten named Spike darted in and out of the frame during Musacchia’s video call with LAist.

One of the topics she tackles on TikTok is language. Musacchia said she’d love to see a shift away from phrases like “special needs.”

“I feel like that tends to other disabled people,” Musacchia said. “We don't wanna be treated special. We want to be treated with fairness.”

And for people that hear her story, Musacchia hopes they’re inspired by her advocacy and not her disability alone.

“I'm a human like you, who's experienced challenges,” Musacchia said. “You're a human and you experience challenges in your own way, regardless of if you're disabled or not.”

Her tips for other students: “Brainstorm ways that they can address that issue,” Musacchia said. "Talk to people, for help because that is, that's always going to help you gain more insight into what you need to do.”

For example, her advisor for the Gold Award is a Rowland Unified teacher who helped her understand how to reach district leadership through the board meeting.

“Go for it, honestly,” Musacchia said.”Because the worst thing that can happen is like they tell you no, and then you can come back with a new idea.”

The unexpected advocate

The promise of snacks drew Kevin Valladares to a 2019 meeting of young activists at Mendez High School in Boyle Heights.

Kevin Valladares, Mendez High School Class of '23

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Courtesy Kevin Valladares

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LAist

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“Oh my God,” Valladares said, remembering that Halloween day his freshman year. “The Nature Valley granola bars, the green ones, those are my favorite.”

The members of United Students were discussing the upcoming election and how the dense, lingo-heavy ballot language could limit people’s participation.

“When I like learned … that's like another way of suppressing people, I thought it was like interesting,” Valladares said. “I didn't even know you could do that.”

Valladares became an active member of the club, and harnessed what he’d learned about civic engagement to win the student body presidential election going into senior year.

“I can do so much more than be a regular student who goes to class every day,” Valladares said. “I can like, change my community,”

Valladares has spoken to the LAUSD school board meetings, broadcasted the school’s daily announcements, rallied with educators during March’s three-day labor strike, and served as a conduit between student needs and campus leadership.

A better lunch

Asked to identify one tangible change on campus in his student body president tenure, Valladares pointed to Mendez’s bell schedule.

In a Spring 2022 survey, Mendez students shared their ideas for improving the school.

“Most of them enjoyed hanging out with their friends, just catching up with their friends,” Valladares said.

One pain point was the school’s block schedule days: Each class is doubled to almost two hours, with a 25-minute break in the morning for breakfast and 30 minutes for lunch. These Wednesdays and Thursdays left even motivated students like Valladares dragging by the afternoon.

“I was like falling asleep during third,” Valladares said. “It's not ‘cuz the lesson was bad or like the teacher was boring.”

Valladares met with the school’s leadership committee — which included the principal, other staff, parents, and community members — and helped broker a deal to shave five minutes off each class period and extend lunch to 45 minutes twice a week.

The new schedule took effect in October.

“We felt more energy the following week,” Valladares said. “Students were like, ‘oh my God,’ lunch feels so much better.”

Valladares said the extra time meant he could review a lesson with a teacher— in statistics, probability was particularly vexing— or stop into a few of the many clubs he participated in — including chess, crochet, and Mandarin — and still have time to enjoy lunch.

“It allows you to develop a mini schedule,” Valladares said— a skill he can use at UC Berkeley in the fall.

Valladares’ time management also stood out to AP comparative government teacher Rebecca Gallego, who watched him juggle school, college applications, clubs, and a part-time job at Old Navy.

“I think his commitment to bring life to certain projects or certain movements is so strong that he finds a way to balance it all,” Gallego said.

Valladares said connecting with Mendez’s leadership and building a network of support was important throughout high school.

Gallego said Valladares never failed to greet her with a “Hi, how are you?” in the morning.

“When you meet somebody, just communicate with them like once in a while,” Valladares said. “When you need help … you can always reach out and they'll be willing to help you.”

Hear more from student activists

The students featured in this story tackled a wide range of issues, and all left their mark. But standing up to the powers that be is never easy. Some of these students joined LAist 89.3's public affairs show AirTalk to discuss their experiences, joined by senior reporters Mariana Dale and Jill Replogle.

Listen to the AirTalk segment:

Former LAist education intern Ryanne Mena contributed to this reporting.

Tell us about the "good trouble" you or your student got into this year in the box below. We may be in touch to learn more.