Monday morning West High School students and faculty members returned from their extended weekend only to notice chalk messages around campus. These were not as friendly as the ones left by Sustainable Society a few weeks ago.

   Though the words were brightly written, most people did not actually read the messages until they came across the one in pink along a stairwell in building four that reads, “make America great again,” which is a phrase commonly associated with the Donald Trump campaigns. This was the eye opener for many teachers and students, even if they did not have classes in that building because the phrase can be seen from the cafeteria as well.

   Mr. Tubic, an English teacher, brought this “graffiti” to the attention of a neighboring teacher by saying, “I came through the gate by building three and saw ‘Trump’ in big, blue letters and thought nothing of it. Until I saw it throughout buildings four and five as well and went ‘huh, that’s interesting.’”

  The term “graffiti” inspired opinionated responses from teachers  at first, for instance Ms. Lee assumed that the “graffiti” was sharpie on walls or something more permanent than chalk, but either way many teachers agree the political messages have no place on school campus.

   This is especially important because students like Mary Cabilin (10) admit that they “felt uncomfortable, because teenagers treat Trump like a joke, and they just shouldn’t.” Other students, who prefer to remain unnamed, believe that “politics do not belong on school campus, no matter who is expressing the views.” Mr. Tubic agreed by saying, “It doesn’t bother me that someone is supporting Trump, it doesn’t matter if it were Bernie or Hillary, but school, in my opinion, is a neutral zone.”

  Freedom of speech and personal voice are two incredible aspects of American life, but graffiti is not the best way to convey this and school is not the appropriate venue. Although, the right to partake in political decisions should not be taken lightly either.