Being in high school is not an easy thing and I am sure I’m not the only one to know this. But a strong subject that is always pulling on me is “friends”. Not only transferring from a junior high to high school but just being in a new environment can easily switch up your element. I know for myself I have gained and had a few losses, but all in all, making new friends is tough.

There are plenty of students at Hays High who sit by themselves at lunch, become shy in class, and even some are afraid to participate in certain activities simply because they do not have friends. As myself being a bystander, it is very difficult to watch. Just knowing that someone is feeling left out or unwanted at a place they must go every day is so sad.

For those of us that do have friends or even are outgoing should not be afraid to step up and make an effort to talk to people that seem more on the independent side. If you woke up every day dreading the thought of school because you had no friends, you wouldn’t be too happy either.

I know that Hays High is more than capable of coming out of our comfort zone to make others feel a little more comfortable. If we all took an effort to just say hi to someone in the hall or comment their shirt, it could put a smile on someone’s “not-so-hot” day.

16hbaxter@usd489.com