Santiago High School recently implicated a new assembly to its educational system called Words Matter where they viewed student-made videos with different situations on why violent speech can lead to consequences, along with inside information from a personal security guard and a police officer on campus. 

Students on our campus were allowed to ask questions and answer them with the newfound information.

Students at Santiago High School were asked.

“In your own words, how did the Words Matter presentation impact you?”

“What is a lesson you learned from it?”

“I’d say that I was reminded of the importance of using my own words and how I speak can affect other people. The Words Matter Presentation is just a reminder to always be kind because that is the only way to avoid conflict. Our words have impossible power, and it is our responsibility to use them in a positive way to keep our campus and personal lives happy and healthy!” -Julianna Rose

” The ‘words matter ‘presentation impacted me because it showed me how much value our words have and how much the admin wants us to be aware of what we say.”

“I learned that even if we think that something is a joke, we need to understand the impact of our words and what they can mean for our future”-Christina Ayoub

“The Words Matter presentation opened my eyes to look at words more as a double-edged sword; no one can read your mind and interpret the words you say in different ways, positive or negative. It led me to be more aware of what I say.”

“I learned that what you might think is a joke is a dangerous threat or a rude comment and that I should think before I speak more often.”-Kymberlee Torres.

“The Words Matter presentation didn’t impact me in a new fashion since I’ve seen it before. At some points, I felt like it was truly a depiction of how students act on campus, and it just made me feel like the school doesn’t trust us as students. I appreciate the reminder that what we say can affect our future, but I feel like they went about it in a taunting way”-Alyssa Fernandez

” it made me realize that I should take account for my words and not go around saying possibly dangerous words to my friend even as a joke because it can turn badly very quickly”-Lindsay Diaz

” The Words Matter presentation heavily impacted me because I gained a new perspective on how my words are perceived and how my words/expressions can negatively impact me. The lesson I learned was that harmful words can have harmful impacts and lead to consequences, so avoiding negative thoughts and words would be ideal”-Urvi Vora

What an AP (Mr.Shaw) on Santiago High School’s Campus had to say when asked:

“Is the Words Matter presentation new, and why is it important?”

 “Does this idea come from any personal experiences?”

” It began last year because we just wanted to raise awareness about students saying things that could potentially lead to severe consequences in the school district because we did have an influx of just essentially silly things that kids are saying whether they are joking or not, but that is very serious and potentially grave, so we just wanted to raise awareness with our student body and to ensure that students don’t make those mistakes.” 

(Mr. Shaw did not want to expose any stories…) Instead, he said 

“I’m not gonna talk about specific stories, but even something as simple as drawing a gun and pointing it to someone or saying something out of context, looking at a gun manual in class like those things could lead to serious consequences and essentially freak kids out here at school, and we want to make sure that we maintain a safe, welcoming environment on campus.”

Students seemed to find this presentation very impactful, and hopefully, in a few years, it can impact many more for years to come.