I

t concerns us to see that our entire school has been associated with recent events.
We fully understand the anger that has grown within the community in response to these incidents; they are unacceptable and we are angry as well. 

We also see the concern that our youth, as a whole, are suffering condemnation from the community for the acts of a select few. We see this time as an opportunity to provide an alternative perspective to an unfair judgment of our students as a whole. We read the
newspaper and see the word “students.” “Students” slam back shots of booze in the parking lot before coming to dances. “Students” participated in a gang rape. Shame on “students.” 

Unfortunately, the school has become a scapegoat for the anger of this community, and in turn the “students” as a whole are suffering this judgment. We say unfortunate because the majority of the students in our school did not participate in this incident, do not participate in similar activities, do not condone the behavior that has been apparent and do not want to be associated with it. 

As the student body representatives, we are here to voice that our students are compassionate, intellectual, kind people. We are here to say that within our entire four years of school here, we have never felt unsafe. Walking through the halls today we confronted students and asked them if they felt safe here and the answer was unanimous. We see here a community of peers, not once have either of us ever witnessed a fight within these halls. 

It upsets us to hear accusations of violence from our homecoming dance, and while we try to provide fun and opportunities for our student body, we also are going to find a safe solution. We hear the anger from the community, and while it is understandable that there needs to be a solution, it is not a solution to blame the youth. While the attention has been so concentrated on the negative aspects of Homer High, we are here to remind the community that this school is full of accomplishments, and we would like to take this time to recognize the members of our youth who deserve it. (See the adjacent list of accomplishments.)

Katie Kirsis and Cruz Morey are the president and vice president, respectively, of the Homer High School Student Council. They are writing on behalf of Homer High students. The two read this piece and the adjacent list of accomplishment at last Thursday’s meeting at Mariner Theatre and were invited to submit it for publication.