On May 3, students from the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) club sponsored a Day of Silence for Westside students. This event is a day where LGBTQ students and allies can choose to be silent during the school day. They do this in order to honor individuals who have been silenced due to the harassment they face and for those who miss school because of bullying.

Junior Kylie Ketelsen is a member of the GSA and said she, as well as some of her friends, have faced discrimination.

“[Day of Silence is] important because even though we are one of the more progressive schools, there are still people who face discrimination within our school, and it’s important to show respect and alliance for those people,” Ketelsen said.

Ketelsen said that she believes the Day of Silence is a good way for others to experience what LGBTQ students go through at school.

“It’s a really good learning experience because you get to see what other people go through,” Ketelsen said. “It really just makes you step out of your own comfort zone and realize there are people out there who have issues that you don’t know about.”

Junior Korbin Wolfe is also a member of the GSA. He said that this day is important to him because he has felt silenced, and Day of Silence makes him feel less alone.

“[Day of Silence is] important for our school because there’s a lot of people in our school who are still closeted, and it’s to show other schools that we accept people here,” Wolfe said.

Wolfe said he hopes students will participate in this event because it’s important to show your support for LGBTQ students as well as show students that Westside is a safe place.