By Tanner Nypen ’15
THE ROUNDUP

Once a week the students of the Black Student Union meet in Mrs. Susan Maynard’s room to gather and socialize.

Mrs. Maynard became the moderator after the former moderator, Mr. Stephen Johnson, moved to another school.

“It’s a place to gather, to socialize, to talk comfortably about the experience of being a black student at Brophy,” Mrs. Maynard said. “To feel like you are in a safe place, to be candid and honest.”

The club seeks to create a better sense of community and brotherhood among all students.

“Earlier meetings, the kids just went around sharing who they were and what their experience had been at Brophy so far. Sometimes the older kids will ask the younger kids if they have any issues, inquire about their how academics are going,” Mrs. Maynard said. “They just try to be big brothers in a way.”

Instead of having one singular student leader, the club has an executive board of four to five students, one of these students being Isaiah Williams ’15.

“We decide what we are going to do at all the meetings, how we can get the school involved and have discussions about what we are going to do as a club,” Williams said.

Williams was one of four students chosen to be part of this executive board by previous board members.

“Last year the seniors had picked four of us to be the board for next year, and we could agree or not,” Williams said. “Everyone agreed of course.”

These board members are the one who plan events and discussions to spread the club’s mission to other students.

“In my opinion, the mission of the club is to form a brotherhood at Brophy of students that may seem or feel differently … but all in all aren’t that different at this school,”  Williams said.

The club is planning on having speakers during the opening assembly of Summit on Human Dignity, which focuses on race this year. They also are thinking about leading some workshops during the week.

“I know one of the things we want to do for the Summit is highlight personal experiences that students of all races have had … so one thing they are starting to think about is how they can contribute to that,” Mrs. Maynard said. “I hope that it will enrich our understanding that race still matters and that we can’t just sweep it under the rug.”