I found last month’s Words Matter week rally to be ironic.

People seated near me made comments about the presentations, the games and the people chosen to play the games that were hurtful and disrespectful.

 They said things with the intent of putting another down. Their comments were insulting and they obviously did not consider the harshness of their words. 

This rally was centered around the theme “words matter.” But that point is clearly not reaching many students. Throughout the week, I heard students use the phrase as if it were a joke. 

Many students don’t take these lessons seriously. The students’ joking mannerisms and insulting behavior is a stark indicator of this. 

These spirit weeks and rallies obviously aren’t impacting students in the way that our school hopes.

Our school and our leadership claim to support unity and sportsmanship. But if our school so strongly supports unity, why are the different grade levels separated during rallies? 

Why are teams made up of one class against another? 

Why does every rally end with seniors and juniors screaming at each other to determine which one is supposedly better? How does white noise define spirit? 

These spirit weeks and rallies are meant to promote unity and teamwork. But the actions give a different message. 

Students miss these lessons when they are pitted against each other. Students miss these lessons through the silence when no one tells them to stop at an unkind word. 

“In a world where you can be anything, be kind.” This saying was written around the school for Words Matter Week. 

In a world where you can be anything, you should already be kind. 

Although kindness is a choice, it shouldn’t be a question whether we choose it or not. 

Why should there be one week in the entire year to teach that words matter? 

We should know and learn that words matter every day. We should be the best we can be every day, not just one week in a year. 

So instead of having a single spirit week dedicated to the impact of words, our school should always be kind and always speak up when unkind words are thrown around by students.

How will we ever change if no one says anything?

Fresh(man) Voices is a monthly column featuring different freshmen writers. Freshmen can submit columns to [email protected] or [email protected]. Students can also drop by room 321 for more information.