Pandemonium struck Keyser High School on October 5, sending the students into frenzy. Rumors of a racial situation and gun violence brought a disturbance within the school, causing parents to come to pick up their children.

Most of the consternation centered on symbols and the apparent different perceptions held about them. Lack of communication regarding disciplinary action and administrative reaction may have exacerbated the situation. Meetings were held and school officials tried to reach out to members of the community for solutions and to reassure.

Symbols can represent different things to people; however, if a symbol is offensive to someone else, should you still wear that symbol and expect others to know what it means to you? Not everyone is going to understand what you wear and why you wear it. If you know it is going to offend someone, then common courtesy would seem to demand that it not be worn. Students have enough trouble making it through high school in today’s society without the added stress of others being blatantly rude.

The categorization of students that occurs should also be put to rest. Students continuously group others based on race, sex, religion, interests, clothing, and academic standing. This is a typical high school phenomenon, but since Keyser High has always been known for its open, welcoming, and tolerant atmosphere, we can expect more from our students and staff.

The one thing we at KHS cannot tolerate is intolerance.