By Alyse Biuckians ’28
Each morning when students begin to hear music playing over the loudspeaker, they begrudgingly put their phones away and settle in for the morning announcements. As Dr. Fox takes over the mic, he asks for everyone to stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Notably though, almost no one does.
Have you noticed this trend too? Fewer and fewer students are standing for the Pledge of Allegiance every morning, and to question why is only natural.
Most find the reasoning to be pretty straight forward. “Because they just don’t feel like it,” junior Olivia Brensinger simply stated.
And it makes sense. At 7:40 in the morning, how many students really feel like standing up and reciting the pledge to the flag?
Teachers have reached the same conclusion. “There’s a level of apathy with a lot of high school students… that probably makes them not care to [stand for the Pledge],” English teacher Mr. Jesse Shenk pointed out.
So, it seems like most highschoolers are just a tad bit lazy. But is that really the only reason for the lack of participation?
“Some students don’t stand because they…are not satisfied with the country,” sophomore Nicolas Storer Rios said. If standing for the Pledge means expressing support for the nation, then students may feel entitled not to stand as an act of silent protest.
Though most students are not standing for the Pledge of Allegiance each morning, there are still a few sprinkled about that do.
Whether it’s to show their respect or endorsement for the flag, teachers and students alike believe that students should still stand if they want to. “I do try to encourage students to do it if they want to…and not feel weird about it,” Mr. Shenk explained.
It can be hard to be the only person in the room reciting the Pledge, but if you feel inclined to, then go for it! Like you have the right not to stand, you also have the right to stand. So, keep standing, or not standing, for what you believe in!