“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” One hundred and ten years ago, Mahatma Gandhi coined this sentiment in a 1913 journal article for the Indian Opinion. He went on to write, “We but mirror the world… We need not wait to see what others do.” Now, 110 years later, chorus students are voicing their opinions and singing their way to change.

“We but mirror the world”

Choral students’ repertoire consists of compositions “Jingle All the Way”, “Patapan” and a piece entitled “Be the Change”.

“Throughout history, there have always been people who have stood up for different things that they believe in,” choral director Kelly Sipes said. “We discussed as a class things that were important to us that we would like to change. I always feel that it’s important to connect the history or message of a piece to something that’s in our real personal lives. We become better performers when we think about the significance, about the meaning behind the song. We definitely hit a hot topic in regards to things that we would like to see changed around the school, and I think people had some really great ideas.”

Once Sipes asked her students what they would like to see changed in the school, a passionate discussion ensued, covering topics such as things that would make everyone feel safer and better, but also things that can at times be a nuisance to students.

“Some of the things [students] shared with me were concerns over the backpack policy. I think everyone supports the clear backpacks. They thought it was a great idea. One of the things they wondered about was if they’re being searched, why are they not able to carry them?” Sipes said. “It’s interesting to hear from the student perspective because they have a lot of really good points, but there’s also the reason we have the policies that we do, right? It’s finding that common ground, and if there’s something that’s really important to them, then I think there’s a right way to go about making that change. We’re asking for that change.”

“If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change”

From the clear backpack policy and searches to rules about phones and tote bags, chorus students offered insight into their point of view on different regulations throughout the school.

Sophomore Gracelynn Beldin, an alto member of the vocal ensemble, voiced her opinion on policies she’s glad the administration implemented this year.

“I like that we don’t have to have clear water bottles anymore, that at least [the administration] didn’t say anything about that. That makes my life so much easier. I’m glad [the administration is] not like, ‘Oh, you can’t bring your Stanley even though it’s a cup.’ I don’t have to worry about getting a big clear water bottle, I can just have whatever water bottle I want with me,” Beldin said.

Concerning the dress code section, Beldin is happy with the changes to the code of conduct this year.

“I liked the changes that [administration] made to the dress code. I think their changes were good. I don’t think that would really need to be reformed further, except you see some teachers with sleeveless tops and their shoulders exposed. Girls should be allowed to wear tank tops without having to cover their shoulders. I get no spaghetti straps, but if it’s a wide strap tank top, and all you’re seeing is like a little bit of my shoulder, I think that’s alright,” Beldin said.

A few years ago, student safety concerns caused administration to add security checks to safety procedures. Vocal ensemble soprano Jillian Pierannunzio is glad of this addition.

“I’m glad that [the administration] is doing the security checks just to make students feel safer,” the junior said. “I know that the checks won’t prevent anything from happening, but I guess it just makes us feel safer. I know it can be kind of annoying in the morning, but I understand what they’re doing with it.” 

As a faculty member, Sipes is appreciative of the efforts of administrators and staff.

“I think one of the things that we have started to work on is changing the climate around here to be more positive and welcoming and try to search for the good in things instead of just being rule enforcers and focusing on all the negative things,” Sipes said. “That’s hard to do when there are a lot of problems sometimes. I feel like we all need that because there is so much good going on here. It’s kind of like the news. You read so much bad news, and you just wish some of those good stories would make the front page.”

“We need not wait to see what others do”

The discussion among chorus pupils also resulted in comments on what could be reformed to make a more welcoming school.

Pierannunzio would like to see some behavior adjustments in the school—not with administration, but with students.

“I think people should learn to be kinder to one another,” Pierannunzio said. “I feel like we shouldn’t stress as much about what people think about us and just do what we’re here to do, and just do school.” 

Beldin echoes Pierannunzio’s message that the administration and teaching staff need to focus more on education. 

“I think that I’ve just heard about teachers reprimanding kids for having their bags with them. I just think it’s so silly because it’s not important to a girl’s or guy’s learning,” Beldin said. “[For] the dress code, what [a girl] wears to school does not impact her learning. As long as your areas that need to be covered are covered decently, and you’re not dressing sloppily like you’re about to go to bed, [students] shouldn’t be sent down to administration or in-school suspension—what are they learning in in-school suspension because they wore a crop top or a tank top?”

Pierannunzio also offered insight into her point of view on the phone policy.

“I feel like we should be able to carry our phones on us because other schools allow [students] to carry their phones on them and not use them during class. Obviously, you should be punished if you’re on your phone during class, but to just [be allowed to] carry it on you because of [the lockdown that] happened last year. Some people didn’t have their phones to contact their parents and if that was a real situation, it would have been a lot more stressful for people to not be able to reach their parents,” Pierannunzio said. “I feel like we should just be able to carry our phones on us and–obviously we’re not allowed to have them on during class or anything–but just to have them there.”

“As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him”

To improve the high school climate and make the environment more welcoming, Beldin thinks administrators should take more action.

“I think administration sometimes lacks in what they do about people who come forward about problems with another student; sometimes doing nothing is the right answer, but sometimes just telling [the student] to ignore it is not,” Beldin said. “I think we need to be more worried about how the administration treats kids because that’s going to reflect on how the kids treat each other.”

Beldin also believes administrative action should focus more on the big issues that are happening in the school rather than the smaller ones.

“I think it’s redundant because the student body is so big. We should focus on the bigger issues that are happening in the school and not, ‘Oh, does this kid have their bag or their phone’ because that’s such a small issue that doesn’t have a lot of significance,” Beldin said.

Pierannunzio feels that the administration should establish clear boundaries concerning the rules and policies that are enforced.

“I feel that every year at the beginning of the year, [administration] is always like, ‘You’re not allowed to have your phone on you, we’re gonna be a safe school.’ Then, their rule [enforcement] declines by the end of the year, and they really don’t care anymore,” Pierannunzio said. “If they have the rules, they need to stick to them or they need to change them and keep with the rules because some people get dress-coded and some people don’t. Some people get caught with their phones, some people don’t. I guess it depends on the teacher, and that’s not fair to anyone because someone could be wearing the same exact jeans as someone else and one person could get dress-coded for it and one person couldn’t.”

“Be the Change”

Chorus students are looking to inspire change and spread a sense of togetherness in the community.

“We were talking about singing ‘Be the Change’ at a teen shelter because the shelter’s having a community event, and Mrs. Sipes was asked if we would sing at it,” Pierannunzio said. “She felt that ‘Be the Change’ would be the perfect song because it really just brings a community together.”

Sipes would like to encourage more positive actions and influences among the community.

“As a teacher, you can really influence a lot of people in either a positive or a negative way. I always felt that, as well as being someone who teaches music and does my best to instruct in my subject area, I can be a positive person and someone that [students] can look to as a good role model,” Sipes said. “If there’s something that I can do that positively impacts even one student’s day, every day, then I feel that’s making a change. That is the kind of change that I would like to see within our school.”

For Beldin, the song “Be the Change” has more significance than notes and words on paper.

“The song ‘Be the Change’ means that if you want something to change, you have to take initiative to change it because no one’s going to exactly change it for you,” Beldin said.