It’s no secret that Cal High students and teachers seem disconnected at times.

We struggle as a student body to bring a sense of unity among every individual on this campus.

With this in mind, the Breaking Down the Walls program sought to reunite Cal in an accepting, positive atmosphere for every student.

From Sept. 19-23, every student on campus was exposed to the program during two separate hour-long assemblies.

Hundreds of these students volunteered to participate in  the program later in the week by joining smaller sessions of about 150-200 people.

The program was a logical, unique way of trying to unify our campus and improve overall morale.

The most distinctive aspect of this program was the process in which students were chosen to participate.

The option of choosing to partake in the day-long event allowed for a comfortable enviroment for students to be  real with each other and themselves.

Students found that they enjoyed sharing their experiences  in the smaller groups and listening to their classmates.

Students participated in activities such as the classic “cross the line” activity, where they were asked to step over a rope if they had experienced various events in their life.

Participants realized that they weren’t alone in the difficulties they faced in everyday life.

Students were surrounded by more than 100 other people who weren’t judging them, and at least a few others who had experienced similar hardships.

Though Breaking Down the Walls would be effective in theory, the social problems on campus most likely won’t change much in the long run, at least not for this year.

For this program to be more effective in improving school unity, it is important to consistenly practice the activities that Breaking Down the Walls has tried to incorporate.

It is vital to reinforce the “life-changing experiences” that Breaking Down the Walls promises to bring to several students.

But the program definitely has some issues.

Though the majority of students went with good intentions, some went for the purpose of not having to go to class for a day.

The initial assembly also caused much discussion and  drama due to the topics presented, such as abortion.

The follow through of the entire program seemed lackluster, and many of those not involved in the smaller sessions have seen little to no change in the social climate.

That being said, Cal has all the potential to become a more unified and community focused place to be. But effort must continue to achieve such results.