“Milpitas High School empowers all students to succeed in and contribute to the global community.” That is the mission that our school has set for itself and proudly displays on its website. As living in the Bay Area becomes more expensive, MHS has done the bare minimum to support its students.
The Bay Area is known for being wildly expensive to live in. There is a growing difference in earnings that creates a separation between families who rarely worry about their finances and those who battle mounting financial pressure and live paycheck to paycheck. These differences are the cause of recent changes in MHS.
At the early stage of the pandemic, the district offered kids free food. Seven days’ worth of breakfast and lunch was distributed to any child under 18. This program was a California government initiative done because many people were losing their jobs due to the economic effects of COVID, and more and more people in the Milpitas community were forced to look for cheaper options for groceries. The government relief helped alleviate problems that families were still having and allowed them to budget for other essentials. This free food program is still in effect as of the publication of this newspaper. The “State Meal Mandate” was definitely a step in the right direction for helping underprivileged students.
During the pandemic, MHS distributed Chromebooks and installed two-hundred hotspots for students so they could have access to the internet and their coursework at all times. It was a helping hand to lower-income students that live in the rural areas of the School District. It was a good program, but MHS can do much more.
But how else can MHS help? The George W. Bush Institute lists “access to reliable transportation” as another key factor in hurting low-income students’ involvement in their schools. Even with student-discounted prices, the bus fare is $2.50 daily. In a four-week month, that equates to $50 solely to commute to and from school. With gas prices still relatively high, students are more and more compelled to take the bus to school, but the school bus lines are not a really viable option. The two school buses in the morning fit no more than 30 people comfortably, so the buses only help a small population. If the school wants to take on the issue of helping students itself, instead of waiting for another institution to do it, it can start with buses by lowering their price, making them more consistent, or just adding more.
We should showcase students who show great perseverance, devotion, and will to improve their lives and those around them despite their economic circumstances. MHS can do an award for students who have proved they embody the Trojan spirit MHS is supposed to represent. These recognitions would not only make those students feel appreciated, respected, and recognized, but would also inspire other underrepresented students to also become better versions of themselves and realize that Milpitas High is taking action for them.