The following is an observation of O'Farrell students in class and at recess during a summer school session. Most students seemed to be dressed fashionably. The boys wore trendy baggy pants, over-sized t-shirts, and athletic shoes. The girls were well dressed in bright colors and were very conscious of their make-up and jewelry. The student body was ethnically diverse, with a mixture of Asian, African-American, Latino, Pacific Islander, Filipino, and Caucasian.
The observation included a visit to Mr. Calvin's math class. On this day, the students were preparing for the final exam. Even though they were studying for a final that was to be taken in 15 minutes, they all seemed very relaxed and not worried about the exam. They were at ease with each other, and with the teacher. Many of the students seemed distracted, with some eye wandering and game playing. One of the girls was singing a rap song to herself during the time that we were in the classroom. Those who sat alone were very quiet. There were more boys and, in general, they were louder than the girls. The questions they asked dealt more with how the test would affect their grades than with the content of the exam.
At recess, the students interacted with a lot of physical touching, both walking down the halls and while in groups. Most of the physical interaction was harmless play fighting (the students refer to this as "shooting the body") but we did observe a near fight. Groups ranged from 2 to 6 people and were divided mainly along ethnic and gender lines. The mood at recess was relaxed and playful. Students joked and teased with each other and the teachers.
The students we interviewed expressed a variety of interests. These interests included sports, science, computers, music, popular television (i.e. MTV, BET, Martin, talk shows), and each other. The areas that they said they were good at included math, computers, science, sports, and reading. The overall opinion of the students was that as a group they were smart, well behaved and fun. The students' plans for the future included attending law school, playing football at the college level, and careers in the technical fields.