I really tried to make this a non-opinionated piece which would highlight the political divide among students.
However, nearly everyone I interviewed about the topic gave me the same answers. When asked if politics ever cause tension among their classmates, most students said it was minimal. Additionally, multiple students that I specifically interviewed because of their strong opinions repeated the same generic “it’s good to look at both sides and compromise” stance, which they may or may not actually live by. That’s coming from people all over the political spectrum.
If students feel like politics are less divisive at GJHS than I assumed, why do so many hesitate to share their views?
It clearly isn’t because students simply have no views at all. Although that could be said for some, many in-class debates I have witnessed have been heated. I have had deep political conversations with other students when I’m not writing down everything they tell me, but it tends to be a topic that most avoid when asked on the record. Doesn’t seem so “non-divisive” after all.
“I do think students, a lot of them, do have really strong opinions. Maybe they just don’t feel comfortable sharing them in a full class,” said GJHS English teacher Meghan Read.
GJHS senior Keaghan Hays-Clark partially attributes this to his belief that the school itself is not doing enough to address controversy when it arises.
“I think that a lot of the [GJHS] staff are too afraid to bring these topics up out of fear of retaliation,” he said.
Hays-Clark is referring to pushback from parents and even some higherups at Mesa County Valley School District 51. According to The Daily Sentinel, for example, D51 Board of Education member Barbara Evanson has advocated for book banning in schools and is against comprehensive sex education for high school students.
Banning certain literature and curriculum from schools is a weapon used to suppress the natural thinking abilities of students, which is extremely dangerous. Those advocating for it claim it is to protect youth from undesirable content, but that is very subjective. As a result, this can be used to censor anything that whoever is in charge doesn’t like. In areas where students are not provided with sex ed, for example, teen pregnancies are statistically higher according to the National Institutes of Health. In Mesa County, teen birthrates were significantly higher in 2020 than the state average.
At Junction, we still lack adequate sex ed and many students are not even aware that banning books is a possibility, let alone its consequences. While the effects may seem subtle, things like this affect students directly.
After conducting my interviews, the answer to why politics are not spoken about became clear. At GJHS, we avoid controversy. When we’re not avoiding, we’re turning a blind eye to whatever is going on in our world, because if we can’t see it, it can’t hurt us.
It is true that many are simply uninterested in politics. However, given that the vast majority of current GJHS students will be of voting age for the 2028 presidential election, this blatant avoidance will come back to bite us.
These are only some of the issues that are dismissed by many. Some just assume that any misconceptions they have heard about political topics are the truth. A large number of students simply get their views from their family. Others become polarized by specifically looking for information which confirms their biases, but most that I have spoken to just flat-out refuse to openly express their opinions.
Regardless, students need to be confident in their own willingness to form unique opinions — not just what they hear, and not just what their favorite influencer or political party says. I encourage students to make an effort to educate themselves, open their eyes, and reject the dumbing-down of America through practices like book banning. We have the constitutional right to free speech, and we must use it.
