This letter was submitted to us from a HPSH student. They wanted to share their thoughts on the recent homecoming pepfest. If you’re interested in submitting an editorial to us on any topic, please send an email to: hpshplaidline@gmail.com
Dear Highland Park,
I am writing this to express how deeply I am ashamed of the caustic behavior of the majority of the school at the pep fest. Freshmen are students just like the rest of us and we should respect them as such. Almost all of us have freshman friends or siblings, so think about how it would feel to say to their face that they are not worth the school’s time.
Sophomores: You were freshmen only three months ago. The beginning of a new school year does not automatically give you greater respect. You must earn respect, including the freshmen’s, and you can not be respected through bullying someone because of their age. Next year, they will be the sophomores, so set a good example.
Juniors and seniors: It is even worse that the older kids in the school, and supposedly the more mature, would degrade another student based on his or her age. You are almost adults and treating kids two or three years younger than you as was done at the pep fest is petty, bullying, and hurtful to self-esteem. You are also setting an example and what you do is often regarded more highly by the freshmen than what the sophomores do.
Freshmen: I sincerely apologize for the caustic words said by most of your school. Though I myself am not a freshman, the chant hurt me, too. It hurt, because I can not believe that a school, my school, that celebrates it’s respectful and supportive environment could allow this. All of us were freshmen at some point, and just because we were told to “go home” by older students does not mean we have to make it a tradition. An eye for an eye does not create a stable world. Chanting such a thing tells our freshmen that their classmates do not respect them at all.
This letter was not supposed to condemn, but to make you think. I recognize that many students did not chant at the pep fest, and I greatly appreciate that. Please consider my words, and hopefully all Highland Park students will treat their peers, younger or older, with the respect they deserve.
Sincerely,
A Concerned Student at Highland Park