I see South being constantly praised for its good efforts, pride and strong school spirit. Sporting events are often filled with students cheering on our teams and exemplifying what it truly means to be a Blue Devil. However, I notice that behind all of this is hidden normalization of constant hate. Day after day, I hear comments being made that are racist, homophobic and classist. These aren’t always blatantly obvious, but they are said often enough to reveal a hidden problem in our school culture. I had never noticed this as a problem with administration. Luckily, most teachers and staff are extremely welcoming and always willing to stay inclusive. This is where I notice that it is mainly a problem rooted within the student culture rather than the school’s morale.

South takes a lot of pride in maintaining traditions that have been rooted in these walls for decades. Though I notice that sometimes, ideas of tradition can be dated or irrelevant to the present day. This can be said about our rivalry with our adjacent high school, North. Yes, it is fun to have playful rivalry and exciting competition in sports, but having rivalry stemming from racism and classism should not be how we evaluate our relationship with another school. Whether it is academics or sports, I often hear students at South talking very negatively about North with little to no justification for their claims. Referencing North as “the other side of the fence” isn’t rivalry; it is racism.

The hate doesn’t even need to be rooted towards a rival school. Most of the time, I notice it within South’s property. It has become so normalized to make fun of others merely because of their appearance or their overall presence, causing the social hierarchy to grow silently. It seems like most students in this school are afraid of diversity and are so driven by tradition and the pressure to be “normal” that the thought of including others never crosses their minds. This is especially true when looking at the leadership of clubs and student organizations. The Devils Den, a club responsible for bringing South students together, is an obvious reflection of how if you’re popular, you can reign superior over all. This organization reflects how social status affects school pride. Their leadership only consists of “socially relevant” students, and their social media posts only consist of the most followed sports and favorite teachers. South’s social hierarchy among the student population has ruined the fun in our school spirit.

Students at South have not just sprouted this culture that lacks diversity, but have also continued the issues that are rooted in the Grosse Pointe community. It is very apparent that Grosse Pointe has lacked diversity and fears of any change, but that is leading to the future of our community being stuck in the so-called “tradition.” People using the term “bubble” to describe Grosse Pointe are true because of our inability to recognize that there are other cultures, communities and ways to express ourselves that haven’t been passed down from years of lineage. The ability to have freedom, however you may express yourself, is what drives community, not burrowing yourself in hateful perspectives that only restrict diversity.