Religion in WHS

A few weeks ago, my younger brother, a second grader in the WCSD, came home from school talking about a book his class had read in the library that day. The book was called Hannah and the Ramadan Gift by Qasim Rashid, and it taught about the Muslim holiday, Ramadan. It surprised me that a teacher would choose to read a book centered on a religious holiday, and it made me think about the concept of “separation of church and state.”

This school year and last, a few different religious-affiliated clubs and events have popped up around Waukee High School, including Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), Stay Here, and the International Club’s Ramadan Dinner. I decided to speak with a few student leaders of these groups to find out the role religion plays in them, as well as if they feel Waukee handles religion in a fair, balanced way. Here is what I found. 

Ramadan Dinner 

The International Club organized its second annual Ramadan Dinner on March 14th. I spoke with the club’s co-president, senior Mais Homedan, to learn more about the event. She described it, stating, “There was an abundance of food prepared by the Muslim community in Waukee, and everyone in the Waukee School District was invited to share a meal with us after we broke our fast.”

Mais also shared the purpose behind the dinner, saying, “We wanted to create a stronger bond between one another within Waukee and to show people that Muslims are kind and generous, and we love meeting and befriending new people.”

She feels that Waukee does a good job of acknowledging and supporting all religions equally, noting that all religious activities are organized by students. “The school definitely helps out all student organizations and events equally, and is super welcoming to all,” she concluded.

Stay Here 

Next, I talked to senior Kayla Reiter, who was one of the students to get the WHS Stay Here club started this year. She told me what the mission of Stay Here is, and how religion ties into it, saying, “The mission of our club is solely to provide resources and a safe space so that Gen Z will become suicide free. Faith plays a huge role in this because mine—and a lot of other people’s stories—revolve around finding freedom from suicidal thoughts through Jesus.” 

On a different note, Reiter also spoke about the difficulties she faced when getting this group off the ground. “This process was pretty difficult because we didn’t have any Christian clubs at the school at the time. At first, we were being pushed to take the religious aspect out of it, and keep just the mental health/suicide-awareness part of it,” she said. However, she continued, expressing just how important it was to her and the other student leaders to preserve the faith part of the club. “After talking to the people I was starting the club with, we decided that Stay Here wouldn’t be what it is without Jesus being the backbone of it at all.”

Eventually, they ended up meeting with the school admin to fight for their right to start this club, and finally, it was officially approved. “After a lot of waiting and patience, it was accepted. Now other Christian clubs, like FCA, have been allowed to start meeting.”

FCA

I also spoke with sophomore Mya Van Beek and senior Kelly Hoffman, the student leaders of Waukee’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) club. They told me about how easy it was to get the group started and how quickly it had grown in just a few months. “At our first huddle, we had over fifty people attend, and we have continued to have high numbers,” they shared. “Breakfast has been donated by several different restaurants that loved the idea of our club and wanted to support it.”

They also talked about the role religion plays in the group, stating, “FCA stands for Fellowship of Christian Athletes, so we are certainly going to be talking about Jesus—just like someone would expect the Environmental Club to talk about the environment.” Although it is a Christian-centered club, they said that any and everyone is welcome to join: “If someone is comfortable with people talking about Jesus and athletics at the same time, they are welcome.”

District Academic Calendar Changes

Last November, the WCSD sent an email to all students, staff, and parents announcing changes they were making to the 2025-26 academic calendar. The message read: “In an effort to create a more inclusive calendar and provide flexibility for families celebrating various religious holidays, the District will now schedule staff work days (no school for students) on Yom Kippur and Eid al-Fitr. In the proposed 2025-26 calendar, Yom Kippur (Oct. 2) will be a staff work day, while Eid al-Fitr falls during Spring Break.”

This week is Holy Week, which means that many Christian churches will be holding Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services. This will lead many Christian students to miss class to attend either one or both of these events, one of whom is junior Charlotte Moyer. I spoke with her about this, and she shared her thoughts, stating, “I think our school should give us Maundy Thursday and/or Good Friday off, out of respect for the religious and cultural significance these days hold for many students and families. Holy Week is an important time for Christians, and not having these days off can make it difficult for students to participate fully in religious services or spend time with their families.” She also pointed out that the West Des Moines school district has Good Friday off from school, further backing up why she thinks we should too. 

She also commented on the district’s updated calendar for next year, stating, “I think it’s great that the school is taking steps to recognize and respect different religious holidays.” She continued, “That kind of inclusion is important in a diverse community. But, it does feel unfair that Christian holidays aren’t given the same consideration.” 

“These days are really meaningful and important for many Christian students and families, and not getting time off can make it feel like our traditions are less valued. If the goal is to be inclusive and respectful of all beliefs, then Christian holidays should be acknowledged in the same way as others. It’s not about taking sides—it’s about being consistent and fair to everyone.”

I believe that Waukee does a fairly good job of allowing students to express their religion through student-led clubs and events while mostly staying neutral. However, there is still room for improvement. The school should extend the same respect to Christian holidays that they do to Jewish and Muslim ones. True inclusion means that every religion is represented and respected equally in our school. If that isn’t possible—or if it isn’t wanted—then I believe all religions should be left out of the classroom.