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Essential education reporting in Detroit
A student wearing a pink sweater around their neck dances in the middle of a circle of students who are filming on their phones and also dancing.

Jayla Graham, one of London’s friends, dances during a Renaissance high fundraising event for breast cancer. London said she enjoyed how school events gave her a chance to spend quality time with friends. “There’s the lame people who sat on the bleachers, and then there’s the people who were actually up and moving and dancing and having fun,” London recalled. “It was hot, but we were still cool, and we had fun.”

London Hill / Capturing Belief for Chalkbeat

Back to School Reading List Detroit Public Schools Community District

Capturing junior year: A Detroit student finds joy in her friends and family

Through photos, Detroit student London Hill documented the highs and lows of her year at Renaissance High School.

By  Andrew Ujifusa Andrew Ujifusa
 
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ABOUT THIS PROJECT: Chalkbeat partnered with Capturing Belief, a Detroit nonprofit that teaches students to use photography and prose to share their lives and tell stories within their communities, to showcase two photo projects. Detroit students London Hill and Rahmyza Muhammad spent a year working with mentors from Capturing Belief to document their lives. London is heading into her senior year at Renaissance High School, and Rahmyza will be a freshman at the College for Creative Studies.

There’s at least one big dividing line that splits London Hill’s past year: time focused on friends, and other times.

Some things went well for London, 17, who is heading into her senior year at Renaissance High School. She made a new group of friends, and her social life overall was much different and better than three years ago, when COVID closed Detroit schools and shut her off from other people. She liked school events because they meant she got to spend time with those friends. She enjoyed birthday parties, restaurants, and other activities when she got to go out without thinking about the pandemic.

But she also said that her junior year was her worst year of high school so far, particularly with respect to academics. As with many students across the country, COVID disrupted her focus on class and post-high school plans, and her days of being strictly an A student faded away. “I used to be like, ‘Dang, I got a B on this test. That’s terrible.’ Now I’m like, ‘As soon as I get a C, I’m good,’ ” she said. “I feel like I’ve started settling for less.” 

She also felt the pressure of the SAT and other milestones marking the transition from high school to adult life. Her grandmother’s health was another cause of stress — at one point, her grandmother was hospitalized, and London spent a lot of time worrying about her. 

For her senior year, London’s looking forward to “walking the stage and feeling accomplished” at graduation, and she wants her parents to be proud of her. She’s not sure where she wants to go to college or what she wants to study. She is sure of one thing, though. “I want to be able to go somewhere new and meet new people, people who don’t know me,” London said. “So they’re like, ‘Oh, this is someone new.’”

A marching band performs on the floor of the high school gym with students watching.
The Renaissance High School marching band performs during a pep rally for the SATs. | London Hill / Capturing Belief for Chalkbeat
1 of 16
A woman stands in her yard holding a shovel while looking to the left with trees and the sky behind her.
London’s grandmother Karen McCain outside her home. McCain, who London said is “one of her best friends” and a constant presence in her life, decided to do some weeding just a few days after getting home from the hospital. McCain didn’t answer the phone when London and her mother called, so they drove to McCain’s house worried that something had gone wrong, only to find her gardening. McCain told them she had simply left her cell phone inside. “She has pockets,” London said, laughing. | London Hill / Capturing Belief for Chalkbeat
2 of 16
A woman sits at her kitchen table with several prescription pill bottles and papers on the table.
Karen McCain, London’s grandmother, has dealt with kidney failure, bladder cancer, and COVID recently, London said. Although McCain has been on medication for some time, the number of prescriptions she has to take every day has gone up over the past year, to London’s consternation: “I can’t swallow a pill. So for you to have to take 10, I’m like, Jesus Christ.” | London Hill / Capturing Belief for Chalkbeat
3 of 16
Four high school students interlock arms while playing around inside of a classroom.
A group of London’s friends share a light moment as they leave science class, including Laila Robinson, right, and Jada Ahmad, left. During her junior year, London said she found a new group of friends who have made her feel a lot better about her social life. As a ninth grader, her school year was disrupted by COVID and she felt very isolated when she took virtual classes. “In ninth grade, I had absolutely no one,” London said. “I feel like I found a stable group of people to stay with. And it just makes me feel a lot better.” | London Hill / Capturing Belief for Chalkbeat
4 of 16
Several children and one teenager are in a ballpit.
London and her friend Amya Bradley took photos of each other as Bradley hung out in a ball pit at Urban Air Adventure & Trampoline Park during a friend’s birthday party. London had never been in a ball pit before. It was the sort of activity she wasn’t able to do during the pandemic. | London Hill / Capturing Belief for Chalkbeat
5 of 16
High school students sit in a dark auditorium, waving their hands and cheering on performers.
Students sit in the school auditorium during a lip synch event called “Lip It Up.” London didn’t participate during her junior year but is looking forward to doing it as a senior. She had planned to be Lizzo until she heard about a lawsuit filed by some of the singer’s former backup dancers. “I was one of her number one fans, but OK, whatever,” she said. | London Hill / Capturing Belief for Chalkbeat
6 of 16
A high school student gives a peace sign while the arm of another student holds out their phone to take a photo inside of a restaurant.
London and her best friend, Loren Finch, ate at Buddy’s Pizza when the two went to a performance of “Beetlejuice” at the Detroit Opera House. London said Loren has “really motivated me through the year. He’s the first person I call if anything goes wrong.” She added that Loren is “not allowed” to have another best friend, and the same rule applies to her. | London Hill / Capturing Belief for Chalkbeat
7 of 16
A high school student leans up against a brick wall while holding her mouth laughing while other students walk by in the background.
London’s classmate Jordyn Hall laughs while recording a dance for a TikTok with friends in the commons area of the high school. “I’ve made a few (TikToks) with friends,” London said. | London Hill / Capturing Belief for Chalkbeat
8 of 16
A student wearing a pink sweater around their neck dances in the middle of a circle of students who are filming on their phones and also dancing.
Jayla Graham, one of London’s friends, dances during a Renaissance High School fundraiser for breast cancer. London said she enjoyed how school events gave her a chance to spend quality time with friends. “There’s the lame people who sat on the bleachers, and then there’s the people who were actually up and moving and dancing and having fun,” London recalled. “It was hot, but we were still cool, and we had fun.” | London Hill / Capturing Belief for Chalkbeat
9 of 16
An older woman wearing a yellow shirt poses for a portrait with five young girls in the room of a restaurant with a tv on the wall.
London’s grandmother Karen McCain celebrates her birthday at the Detroit Pizza Bar with young relatives. For years before she got her driver’s license, London spent a lot of time in her grandmother’s car and spent “every weekend” at her house. “Everyone knew ‘London’s grandma,’” she said. “My grandma literally drove me everywhere. She bought me everything. She spoiled me. She spoiled my brother.” | London Hill / Capturing Belief for Chalkbeat
10 of 16
A high school student wearing tan pants and a red sweater jumps over a hurdle on a high school track.
One day in early April, London and her friend Elizabeth Morrison were walking around the track at school, something they like to do regularly. When they saw hurdles, London said, “I was like, I could never jump over those. And she did jump over those.” | London Hill / Capturing Belief for Chalkbeat
11 of 16
Two high school students stand in the middle of a blue square with a projection of a bird flying above them.
London’s friends Loren Finch and Elizabeth Morrison have fun in front of a screen at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit. London had a photo exhibited at the museum and several of her friends showed up for opening night. | London Hill / Capturing Belief for Chalkbeat
12 of 16
A boy is ironing a pair of jeans while his mom stands in the left corner watching.
London’s little brother Cassius, 11, irons pants as their mother Janelle Hill looks on. London said she doesn’t have a very close relationship with Cassius the way siblings do in the movies. “We talk. He gets my hand-me-downs,” she said. | London Hill / Capturing Belief for Chalkbeat
13 of 16
A “Thank You” note on white paper hangs on the inside of a light brown high school locker in the foreground with several lockers in the background while a student walks down the hallway.
After the seniors at her school cleaned out their lockers and left at the end of the academic year, London took a picture of a note left inside one of the lockers because she thought it was cute. London considers going to school a chore and an enjoyable escape at the same time. After COVID disrupted her early high school career, “I really do enjoy going to school. Just for the people, though,” she said.” The summer break, however, can sometimes drag on, London said. Many of her classmates go to nearby universities like Wayne State and Michigan State, but she wants to go somewhere else. | London Hill / Capturing Belief for Chalkbeat
14 of 16
Two high school girls sit on a pullout bed while they fix their hair in a hotel room.
London’s friend Elizabeth Morrison gets her hair done at a hotel where London and her friends stayed during a birthday celebration for her brother Cassius. She and her friends enjoy doing each other’s hair. | London Hill / Capturing Belief for Chalkbeat
15 of 16
A high school girl wearing roller skates stands next to a railing on a checkered floor next to a roller rink with disco balls and lots of different color lights.
Deja Bright, one of London’s friends, takes a break from skating at a rink about 25 minutes from London’s house. After London got a pair of her own skates, she insisted that Deja and other friends go to the rink. She said she had a good time that night. But London confessed that she hasn’t worn them since the day she took this picture. | London Hill / Capturing Belief for Chalkbeat
16 of 16
A marching band performs on the floor of the high school gym with students watching.
A woman stands in her yard holding a shovel while looking to the left with trees and the sky behind her.
A woman sits at her kitchen table with several prescription pill bottles and papers on the table.
Four high school students interlock arms while playing around inside of a classroom.
Several children and one teenager are in a ballpit.
High school students sit in a dark auditorium, waving their hands and cheering on performers.
A high school student gives a peace sign while the arm of another student holds out their phone to take a photo inside of a restaurant.
A high school student leans up against a brick wall while holding her mouth laughing while other students walk by in the background.
A student wearing a pink sweater around their neck dances in the middle of a circle of students who are filming on their phones and also dancing.
An older woman wearing a yellow shirt poses for a portrait with five young girls in the room of a restaurant with a tv on the wall.
A high school student wearing tan pants and a red sweater jumps over a hurdle on a high school track.
Two high school students stand in the middle of a blue square with a projection of a bird flying above them.
A boy is ironing a pair of jeans while his mom stands in the left corner watching.
A “Thank You” note on white paper hangs on the inside of a light brown high school locker in the foreground with several lockers in the background while a student walks down the hallway.
Two high school girls sit on a pullout bed while they fix their hair in a hotel room.
A high school girl wearing roller skates stands next to a railing on a checkered floor next to a roller rink with disco balls and lots of different color lights.