By Kolby LaMarche

At Hunt Middle School in Burlington’s New North End, the final weeks of the school year bring more than just exams and field days. Students dive into Year-End Studies, an intensive program that lets them explore focused topics in depth, often with real-world impact. 

The program, which occurs for a few weeks before school ends, is a common practice across the district, with it beginning at Burlington High School some years ago. This year, a group of Hunt students used the time to confront a persistent issue they see in Burlington schools: student-to-student racism.

Anjel, Anaele, Mo, Ayriana, and Tayte, all participants in the school’s YPAR — Youth Participatory Action Research — class, formed an anti-racism group. Their project, “STOP THE HATE,” centered on documenting and addressing racist incidents, primarily those happening between students in hallways, on social media, and during conflicts.

The students presented their findings and recommendations in a slideshow shared with peers. Their work drew on surveys, qualitative data, historical context, and student voices collected at Hunt Middle School, with input from both students and staff. 

“Racist incidents happen in our schools because students get influenced by others around them,” the group said in their problem statement. “Racist language is harmful and we are working to stop it.”

The group opened with background research, including a thread of posts on Quora, a popular, non-academic platform, capturing one commenter who said “Whether it be in the school hallways or on social media, I never fail to see acts of racism by teens. Now, this is not to say that all teens are flat-out racist.”

Survey data from 277 Hunt students painted a clear picture for the group: a majority of reported racism at the school involved student-to-student interactions. 

More than half of respondents said they had witnessed or experienced racism there, with 34% saying they haven’t ever seen racism in school. Overall, 42% of students reported that they do not witness “a lot of racism”. 

Many described “casual” racism — comments tied to skin tone, ethnicity, stereotypes, or slurs like the n-word, “monkey,” or “gorilla” — often minimized afterward as “just a joke” – something the anti-racist group aimed to tackle. 

One Hunt student quoted in the presentation said some peers act because “they don’t know,” while others take action when they do. Another noted, “Because they know how wrong and it is hurtful, some of them might have also experienced racism before.” Edin, a student, “They think they have the right to say it.”

The group defined key terms for their audience. They described race as “a social construct used to categorize people, based on physical attributes like skin color, hair texture, facial features.” 

Racism, they explained, involves “prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism … against a person or people on the basis of their membership in a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a minority or marginalized.” Anti-racism, by contrast, they said, is “the practice of opposing racism.”

They highlighted the harm of racial slurs, noting that many originated during the colonial era and antebellum South “to justify chattel slavery and deny basic human dignity.” The students stressed that such language dehumanizes, provokes, and hurts, even when framed as humor or retaliation.

Burlington School District data referenced in the project showed that 42% of students are of the “global majority”, a term recently adopted by the district in recent years. 

When surveyed about belonging, many pointed to inclusion as key. Suggestions for improvement included greater staff diversity, cultural representation, and more effective responses to discrimination. 

Some students of the global majority at Hunt reported no teacher who looked like them. Others cited adults whose actions felt harmful due to race.

Barriers identified by the group included insufficient specific data on student-to-student racism and a sense that they are not taken seriously.

Their proposed actions included educational slideshows explaining why racial slurs should not be used and their historical origins. They created PSAs, including ones addressing the n-word, and encouraged students to report incidents. Recommended contacts included trusted adults, counselors, principals, assistant principals, or parents. 

The students reminded peers that racist language can constitute harassment or bullying and may lead to suspension, expulsion, or legal consequences in severe cases.

The presentation ended with a call to action: “Whenever you witness racism in your school you need to report it. … Please be careful of what you say when and to who.” And a closing message: “remember to spread love around instead of hate, have a great rest of your day.”

The students’ teacher helped analyze Edmunds Middle School incident reports for comparison, which showed patterns of racist language used in arguments, for retaliation, to provoke reactions, or to seem “funny” or “edgy.” Many incidents ended with minimization: “I was joking,” “Everyone was laughing,” or “I didn’t mean it.”

While the project focused on student behavior, it also noted that teachers often do take action when informed, which the Hunt group described as a positive finding.

The anti-racism group wasn’t alone, however, in trying to change school culture. Other courses included an anti-cussing campaign, ableism and disability awareness, and sexism and sexual harassment. 

The students’ presentations can be viewed here.