BY ABBY WHITAKER: Staff Writer

In 2002, there were 50 percent more black people in prison than college.

But according to Pinecrest High Schools’ African American literature class, that statistic can be reversed with help from the school and community.

Pinecrest’s media center filled to capacity last week as students, teachers, administrators and parents gathered to hear Melissa Teets’ class present “The Effects of Race at Pinecrest.” Teets and her students spent months researching and gathering data in an effort to disclose the unfavorable plight of black students at Pinecrest.

Thirty percent of Pinecrest’s 1,700 students are black, Interim Principal Ron Alexander said. But only five black students are ranked among the school’s top 100.

“The black student with the highest grade point average ranks 29th,” a student said during the presentation.

The second highest black student ranks 38th out of 100; the third highest ranks 84th; the fourth highest ranks 89th; and the fifth highest ranks 97th.

Partly to blame for the lower grade-point averages among the black student population is the lack of involvement in advanced placement and honors courses, according to the presentation. Because black students do not choose to take weighted classes, their grade-point averages suffer.

“One of the reasons black students don’t sign up for A.P. or International Baccalaureate courses is because they are unable or unwilling to get teacher recommendations,” Pinecrest Guidance Counselor Linda Dixon said.

Dixon also said that some teachers do not have high expectations for black students and, therefore, do not encourage them to sign up for honors courses.

While 84 percent of Pinecrest’s white students take honors English I, only 11.5 percent of black students take the course. In A.P. Junior English, 82 percent are white and 10 percent are black. In I.B. English, 90.4 percent are white and 8 percent are black.

The same ratios hold true in mathematics and science courses. In honors algebra II, 93 percent of the students are white and 2.9 percent are black. In calculus, 79.5 percent are white, 10 percent are other, and only 5 percent are black. Ninety-two percent of honors physics students are white and 8 percent are black. Only 5 percent of A.P. biology students are black, and only 4.3 percent of A.P. chemistry students are black.

“There are also some black students that think being a successful athlete is more important than being a successful student,” Dixon said.

But according to data gathered by Teets’ class, only 30 percent of Pinecrest’s athletes are black.

School clubs are also predominantly white. Key Club is 1 percent black, and Interact Club is 15 percent black.

“Most black kids we talked to said their parents don’t encourage them to join clubs or to excel academically,” a student presenter said. “Others said they just didn’t feel comfortable around white teachers and students.”

A parent of a black student said he doesn’t believe teachers are aware of the severity of the racial issues at Pinecrest.

“I’ve sent four kids though Pinecrest High School,” he said. “We, as parents, are 60 percent at fault for our kids. But I’m wondering how many teachers are aware of this issue. I don’t see many members of the school staff here today.

“Black students are stereotyped and, more often than not, they’re pushed aside by white teachers and left to fend for themselves. All of this is coming about because we, as a community, haven’t done anything. We’ve got to get in there and fight.

“We’re addressing the same people over and over again. Where are the white teachers? Where are the black parents? Those are the ones who need to hear this. We’re not doing anything but talking to people who already know the severity of the problem.”

Although only 30 percent of Pinecrest’s student population are black, 55 percent of the total number of students suspended last year were black. Thirty-eight percent were white, and seven percent were other.

Students said these negative trends cannot be allowed to continue.

“A trend has been set in motion by African American parents,” one student said. “If they’re not educated, they don’t push their children to succeed academically. This is having a devastating effect on the African American community.”

But parents can’t do it alone, students said. To put a halt to the inequality, teachers, parents and the community must realize the problem exists, join together and get involved.

The teachers at Pinecrest are doing all that they can to deal with the problem, Teets said. A community effort is needed, and the involvement of black churches may be the key to the success of black students.

Spaulding Chapel A.M.E Zion Church in Taylortown is the perfect example of what needs to be done, Teets said. Every Thursday, black and Hispanic students meet with church members for tutoring.

“This is the type of encouragement they need from their community,” Teets said.

College scholarships are also offered to minorities who have succeeded academically. According to data presented in the presentation, there are currently five minority scholarships offered to Pinecrest students, including: the Verona McLean Scholarship, the McDonalds Scholarship for African-American and Hispanic students, the Burger King Scholarship and the Lumbee Scholarship.