We are writing this letter to address the immense hatred we heard about regarding a student being severely beaten for protecting his friend.

As alumni of Mount Si High School, we have had the unfortunate experience of having to view hatred against those who are “different” throughout the halls on an extremely frequent basis.

After the Day of Silence 2008 debacle, we both had hoped that the negative attention that had been brought to Mount Si would have been enough to inflict some sort of change.

Unfortunately, in light of the recent event that is now in the news, clearly that is not the case.

It is extremely evident to both of us that something drastic needs to be done to protect all students. School is supposed to be a place of learning, nurturing and friendship, and should be a safe place to be yourself and find out who you are.

The fear the administration has of being “controversial” by supporting tolerance and diversity in a seemingly conservative community should not jeopardize the safety of the very students whom it is their duty to protect. It is unfortunate that instead of having a reputation where students from other schools would like to be a part of the Mount Si family, Mount Si is now known as a place where being different is not OK. Despite all the negative press, we have hope that parents, students, teachers, and administrators alike will stand together to make a positive change so no student ever feels like they need to compromise who they are just to make it through a day of school safely.

Allyson Rosman (MSHS Class of 2006)

Jenni Anderson (MSHS Class of 2008)