You, me, community? Puh-lease, that is so lame. When I first heard it, I thought, “Wow another lame school theme that they are probably going to shove down our throats,”. But then I started to think about it. During any of the breaks, have any of you ever noticed a boy or a girl, sitting alone, while everyone else nearby is enjoying themselves with the company of others? A community is a group of people who have particular characteristics in common. What do we have in common, all of us? We are in highschool, we are teenagers, we are probably slowly dying on the inside from all the products we have to do, I am looking at you Trimm, I didn't want to write this!

So, why do we let these people sit alone when we already have a couple of things in common? We should be greeting them, talking to them, helping them, just being an all around good guy! Is it that we give in to crazy rumors about the person, and believe me I heard some weird ones, or is it that we just find someone different? Maybe that's why the school chose this theme, because they noticed this problem, or they just chose the theme because someone in the school board thought it was a “radical idea ” and that the Ministry of Education will give them a pat on the back or something. Or maybe they noticed how segregated we truly are, with everyone in tiny groups not caring to look outside of them.

Some of you may ask, why should I care? It's just some random person who you don't know, why not just stick with your friends? Well have you ever thought to yourself, gosh, why does everyone ignore me? Some of you may have never thought this to yourself, some of you may have said it from time to time, but others, they may say it to themselves every single day of their lives. I have a friend, who suffers from depression, I have a friend who has been bullied for a majority of his childhood, I also have a friend who is socially anxious. These are the kind of people we have to help, to talk to, to prevent them from falling into a prison of self doubt and loneliness. Even a little smile while passing someone in the hallway can make a difference. Sometimes the smallest things, the simplest things, could change a life. And I know this, because I am one of those, quiet, awkward, weird guys who just tries to pretend everything's just dandy, that everything is just okay, even though it may not be.

Why cant we actually be a community, I ask you? One where everyone looks out for the other? We need to actually be a community, not just a bunch of mini groups that hang out at certain parts of the cafeteria, but a bunch of people who accept others, who want to help others. We have everything we need to do it, we are just holding ourselves back. Go to that kid who's sitting alone, talk to him, make someone smile. That is what a community should do. That is what our school should be, we just need to make it happen. As a wise man once said, “JUST DO IT!”.