Opinion- "No Place for Hate"
by Hanna Bernett
December 21, 2018
In yet another homeroom period (which always provide the Hamptonian staff with no shortage of interesting material to write on) students were shown a video made by HHS’s Student Voices Club. This video promoted toleration and denounced hate in the school environment. Of course, this message was inevitably related back to the infamous Common Sense Media program, with a brainstorming session on how hate could be stopped online. At the end of the period, students were asked to sign a pledge to support increased inclusion in Hampton.
Was the signing forced, coerced, or simply ambiguous? Will it really do anything to stop hate in our high school?
Kero Kamel (‘19), a leader of the student voices club, says, “The (student voices) club started as a way for students to speak freely to the administration about controversial issues. It is evolving into something more than that though. It is becoming an organization dedicated to promoting the inclusion of all students. I think that signing the pledge during homeroom was an auspicious way to draw attention to the club and what it stands for.”
So, if a Hampton student commits some act of hate, the school will not likely take out this pledge they signed and hold it against them. The pledge is merely symbolic, and therefore fairly ineffectual. So why go through all this “No Place for Hate” stuff at all?
According to Juliana Larson ('19), “Student Voices strove to introduce the school to “No Place for Hate” by creating an engaging video that included both students and faculty. Our desire was to raise awareness for the program and provide an explanation for the upcoming activities that Student Voices will sponsor. We hope that the video was well received by the students and that they understood the ideas presented.”
To be fair, situations like this put school districts in a tough position. It's not uncommon to hear students complaining about how Hampton does nothing to address diversity, mental health, gun control, and other issues. (I personally hear this complaint on a regular basis from my more left-leaning friends.) However, when the school does try to address one of these issues- think of the school safety drills earlier this year and the senior health summit this month- students complain that it was a waste of their time. It is a double-edged sword for the district.
So, what can be done?
I set out to record some other student’s opinions on the homeroom period. Senior Kelly Guiser had a lot to contribute:
“I feel like the best way to spread love and kindness and to eliminate any hate in our school is for students to interact with the community more, whether that’s just in Hampton or anywhere in the Pittsburgh area. One video isn’t going to significantly open anyone's eyes to how important it is to support one another, but if students could learn more about the world around us that we aren’t always exposed to, we might all be able to develop a greater appreciation for what each of us offers to the world. Maybe that means volunteering on a larger scale, maybe that means complimenting someone’s passion by asking why it matters to them, or maybe it just means genuinely thanking someone for something nice they might’ve said or done, but it can all add to forming a more supportive and caring community.”
The point I’m trying to make is that it can be easy to criticize how our school addresses controversial issues. Remember to appreciate the effort that was put behind the “No Place for Hate” message, especially since it was executed by fellow students who care deeply about tolerance.
Was the signing forced, coerced, or simply ambiguous? Will it really do anything to stop hate in our high school?
Kero Kamel (‘19), a leader of the student voices club, says, “The (student voices) club started as a way for students to speak freely to the administration about controversial issues. It is evolving into something more than that though. It is becoming an organization dedicated to promoting the inclusion of all students. I think that signing the pledge during homeroom was an auspicious way to draw attention to the club and what it stands for.”
So, if a Hampton student commits some act of hate, the school will not likely take out this pledge they signed and hold it against them. The pledge is merely symbolic, and therefore fairly ineffectual. So why go through all this “No Place for Hate” stuff at all?
According to Juliana Larson ('19), “Student Voices strove to introduce the school to “No Place for Hate” by creating an engaging video that included both students and faculty. Our desire was to raise awareness for the program and provide an explanation for the upcoming activities that Student Voices will sponsor. We hope that the video was well received by the students and that they understood the ideas presented.”
To be fair, situations like this put school districts in a tough position. It's not uncommon to hear students complaining about how Hampton does nothing to address diversity, mental health, gun control, and other issues. (I personally hear this complaint on a regular basis from my more left-leaning friends.) However, when the school does try to address one of these issues- think of the school safety drills earlier this year and the senior health summit this month- students complain that it was a waste of their time. It is a double-edged sword for the district.
So, what can be done?
I set out to record some other student’s opinions on the homeroom period. Senior Kelly Guiser had a lot to contribute:
“I feel like the best way to spread love and kindness and to eliminate any hate in our school is for students to interact with the community more, whether that’s just in Hampton or anywhere in the Pittsburgh area. One video isn’t going to significantly open anyone's eyes to how important it is to support one another, but if students could learn more about the world around us that we aren’t always exposed to, we might all be able to develop a greater appreciation for what each of us offers to the world. Maybe that means volunteering on a larger scale, maybe that means complimenting someone’s passion by asking why it matters to them, or maybe it just means genuinely thanking someone for something nice they might’ve said or done, but it can all add to forming a more supportive and caring community.”
The point I’m trying to make is that it can be easy to criticize how our school addresses controversial issues. Remember to appreciate the effort that was put behind the “No Place for Hate” message, especially since it was executed by fellow students who care deeply about tolerance.