The 18 or so Wrangell middle school and high school students who belong to BASE - Building a Supportive Environment - are the role models I never paid attention to when I was their age long ago (1960s).
They got together on their own because they saw their classmates dealing with stress, pressures, mental health issues, and even drab hallways, which senior Jade Balansag described as "boring corridors of nothingness."
Senior Jacob Dow did his research and learned that surroundings can make a big difference in mental health.
BASE set to work adding artwork and plants to the hallways, setting up a morning snack bar for high schoolers and middle schoolers who maybe don't start a food-healthy day at home. They talked with their teachers, suggesting how they could do a better job.
These are not shy teenagers.
Good for them. They want to see their community support the schools. They want to see their classmates do better. And they could see that it was up to them to do something about it.
When I was in high school in Chicago in the mid-1960s, I was the class goofball. I stood on a window ledge outside a classroom one day so that I could disrupt class when I came inside. My friends and I would play board games in the back of advanced placement English, just to see if we could get away with it.
I once got knocked down by a gym teacher for mouthing off, back when teachers could smack a kid in the chest and smile about it.
And I would torment substitute teachers, until one of my more rambunctious days as I was walking out of class and the substitute said to me: "Larry, say hello to your mother for me." Turns out the sub knew my mom. Not a good day for me at home that night.
Other than confessing to my past sins, my point is that the students behind BASE are a positive influence and deserve the community's praise and support for working toward a better school. After talking with them this week, I have hope. They see a problem and want to fix it. I am impressed.
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