Staff Editorial: Students need to choose kindness over hate

In the past few weeks at BHS, there has been a great deal of controversy between students on many different fronts. The most recent point of contention between students has been the bathrooms. From the activities that take place there, to who is even allowed to be in each bathroom, lately, it seems that everyone is against each other. The kind environment that BHS normally has seems to have been lost.
The most controversial part of BHS right now seems to be the bathrooms. Students have decided that, instead of just using the bathroom as it is intended, to make it a place to socialize and hang out. This is leading some students to not want to use the bathroom as they do not feel comfortable in them. There is also the dispute about who is allowed to be in what bathroom. Principal Bryant Bednarek addressed this on Nov. 11 stating that students should go into their assigned bathroom unless otherwise pre-approved by their counselor. Students should use the bathroom as it was originally intended to be used thus causing fewer disagreements. We at the Red ‘n’ Green understand that some students do not feel comfortable using the communal bathrooms as they are transitioning or feel unsafe in them. For these students, there are gender-neutral bathrooms next to Student Services.
Bednarek also recently wrote to The Red ‘n’ Green about the trash in the student parking lot. The trash does not reflect well on our school and it shows that we do not care about it. Litter is harmful to the environment and by having so much of it around our campus. Students need to be more responsible and empathetic about the trash and clean up their messes after lunch. It is also nice to pick up a piece of litter that one may see lying on the ground.
Recently, there was a list that was created with the names of students who have allegedly bullied other students. Some of the allegations that are on the list have been proven to be true and have already been taken care of by administrators. Other students have been added to the list for reasons that seem unnecessary. For example, one student is on the list for “sexually dancing.” While this behavior is not school-appropriate, there is no need for this student to be on a list being spread around the school for it. Instead of making a list and sharing it with the entire student body, these issues should have been brought up with administrators first. The list is causing a greater divide between students and not promoting kindness.
To conclude, there are divisive issues between students at BHS right now. The Red ‘n’ Green believes that these issues are all avoidable and we as a school need to work harder to prevent these issues and be kinder to one another.