FHC is typically described as having a warm and friendly student body. However, there is a major problem in the halls of FHC that takes away from this inviting spirit. I have noticed an alarming trend in the number of students who refuse to say hello to their peers.

It is not very hard to take less than five seconds to say hello to someone. I understand sometimes a student could be running late to class, looking in the other direction, or even tired and completely out of it. But in most cases, students are simply refusing to acknowledge their peers. This is downright sad and sends off a very bad message about the inclusiveness of FHC.

If you refuse to talk to someone, it can send mixed messages. The warm and bright halls of FHC can turn stormy and dark without greetings. However, if you refuse to make eye contact, that’s a whole hurricane that is being sent through the student body. If you refuse to make simple contact with others, you can paint yourself as stuck up and conceited. Making eye contact and saying hello is just like breathing– it should come naturally.

I understand some students get anxious at the thought of even speaking to someone that isn’t in their typical social scene. But, what could be more awkward than saying hello?

The answer to this, of course, is staring at each other without saying anything.

Saying hello to someone shouldn’t be seen as something that is unexpected and overwhelming– it should be viewed as a natural human interaction.

If you are not willing to say hello to strangers, you can at least try to say hello to the people that you do know. The people that you know by name will more than likely know you too, so greeting them isn’t a crazy risk.

Every day, I try my hardest to say hello to everyone that I know in the hallway. While sometimes I can have a bad day and not want to talk to anyone, I still try to make the effort. It is also important to remember that while you may have bad days, so do other people. If you refuse to acknowledge another soul in the hallway, it can make their bad day worse. It is important that we, as students, remember that other people are worth greeting.

If you just consider giving the effort to say hello to someone, it can make the school a little bit brighter. If everyone challenged themselves to say hello to at least one new person a day, the results may just change the whole environment of the school for the better.