Tensions ran high at San Dimas High School during the election. Although some of the most passionate political students are not allowed to vote, open-mindedness is something that both sides of the political spectrum at San Dimas can adopt to better our communication skills as a student body.
It is easy for individuals to believe that their values and views on the world are morally ‘right’ or ‘correct,’ but people tend to fall short when it comes to seeing the views of others. This directly impacts our campus and students who see that say, “Close-mindedness keeps Saints from being close,” according to one participant at the Saint’s Forum. The student opened up about their conversations with peers in different classes and described the interactions as similar to talking to a wall.
Another student commented on the forceful and disagreeing viewpoints of students: “I think somewhere along the way, we forget it’s okay for people to think differently. ” People trying to convert or change someone’s opinions are also what gets in the way of trying to be somebody’s neighbor. A point made during the Saint’s Forum is that love and hate are emotions that are very close to one another. 
Editor-in-Chief, Senior, Julia Elfahl disagrees with this notion of agreeing to disagree and said it at the discussion, “There are certain beliefs where I’m not gonna [sic] be unkind or cause a problem but sometimes I do feel like it’s a reflection of who they are,”
To expand on Elfahl’s way of thinking, a member of Foundations of Leadership and ASB member Breona Smith believes, “There is also the idea that your views don’t just reflect you it reflects your family, friends, the views we’ve gathered throughout the years carry the people, reflects all the people you’ve met hate is taught, look back and decipher where that came from”.
The question that was to be discussed throughout the political conversation was ‘where do we find the strength to still respect somebody who thinks differently than you?’
The Saint’s Forum was a discussion run by Mr.Coulter endorsed by Foundations of Leadership which focused on the political conflict in America during the election. Tensions were high, friendships were broken, feelings were hurt, and words were said, but at the end of the day, what this political conversation hoped to inspire was diminished feelings of anger. The takeaway from the Saint’s Forum is for Saints as a student body to be respectful towards one another’s beliefs, opinions, and views because that will help prepare them for society after high school and communicating with different types of people.
