Mixed In: Life as a ‘Mixed’ Student at KHS

Ellie Francois plays field hockey for the school, wishes the DJ played better music at the Friendship Dance and, like most freshmen, said she is constantly trying to find a ride on weekend nights.

Francois has been in the Kirkwood School District (KSD) since the beginning of sixth grade after moving from St. Louis’s Tower Grove South neighborhood and a St. Louis public school.

“When I was growing up I never really thought of it,” she said. “The city is more diverse, [being mixed] was more normal there. When I moved to Kirkwood, people were like, ‘Wait, why is your mom white? Are you adopted?’ and then I started thinking about it.” 

Francois said her city school was much more diverse with about half of the students being non-white. Yet, while at KHS, she is sometimes the only kid of color in her classes and social circles. As of 2016, KSD reported black students making up 13% of the district population. 

“Sometimes with touchy political subjects [in class] you can feel the tension and people will look at you [as the person of color],” she said. “Kids will say racist or offensive things and won’t even realize. I’ll call them out sometimes and they’ll get really defensive about it. I guess I’m more aware of it too because they don’t have to think about it as much.”

Francois said she can best relate to her friend Tyler Macon, freshman, who also has a white mom and black dad. Like Francois, Macon said that from being the only person of color in his world history class, he gets all the looks during the lessons on slavery. She said they like to joke about how it feels to get their hair “pet.” 

“A lot of people will just come up and touch my hair [and say], ‘It’s so weird and puffy’ and they do that to him too. They act like I’m another creature because my hair isn’t stick straight. I wouldn’t come up to anyone else and start petting them.”

Yet Ellie said she also feels different from black girls at KHS, and that she has since she moved to Kirkwood. She attributed this to the fact that most of her friend group is white. 

“Some black girls have said you’re not black. You’re actually white. You don’t act black. People will say stuff and not even realize it’s offensive. Kirkwood is more sheltered in their bubble of Kirkwood.”

But for Macon, who has been in the school district since kindergarten, being the only person of color in his class is habitual. He even laughs about it.

“You just go to class, and there’s a bunch of white kids,” Macon said. “I’m the only black one. But I mean, I’m used to it.”