Dear George Washington High School Students & Staff,

We, the members of the Union Street Journal Editorial Team, are writing to you in response to the article which was previously published on our website, “The 5A Football Game Experience; Larger, More Engaging Than 4A.” This article has since been removed from circulation, and will not be reposted. We understand the harm that has been caused as a result of the damaging content of the article. It was not our intent to publish an article with racial undertones, specifically those that targeted the school’s Spirit Team, its geographical surroundings, and funding. 

More research and context should have gone into the writing of the article; including, but not limited to, the history of Black culture behind the step team, crime rates around George Washington, and the amount of taxpayer and non-taxpayer funding the school receives. 

Regardless of intent, it’s our goal to make up for the harm caused and prevent any future insensitive or ignorant messaging on our website or social media. Moving forward, our newspaper staff is going to be taking a closer look into how much editing our stories receive before they are published, because this was an oversight from multiple members of the editorial board. We will be more closely involving our advisor, Seth Fine, as well as a larger portion of our staff to further peer review articles. We are additionally looking into bringing in members of CCSD’s Office of Equity, Culture, and Community Engagement to help educate us on these topics. 

 Opinion articles do not reflect the general opinion of our newspaper’s staff, the school, or any of its administrative officials, and certainly not the opinions of the Cherry Creek School District. We have talked with members of Creek’s Student Senate and the school’s principal Ryan Silva as well to prevent any further harm. We make an effort to ensure that articles speak from a place of education and awareness, and this article did not reflect that. In the immediate future, the USJ will make certain that its articles come from a place of understanding, not difference. 

As a paper, we do not aim to critique any differences between schools based on funding, culture, or diversity, and this was not the intention of this article. Originally, this article aimed to compare the experience of a 5A and a 4A football game, nothing more. We, as a staff, sincerely apologize for the publication of this article, and appreciate everyone’s responses to this issue. 

Sincerely, 

Quinn Rudnick, Editor-in-Chief

Izzy Krauss, Managing Editor

Jude Gorden, Opinions Editor 

Serenity Hurtado, Asst. Features Editor & Original Author