“That is retarded” or “That is so gay”; these phrases are used daily by some and are not always meant to be an insult. Yet they are, and this slang that has been progressively growing in this day’s generation of teenagers. Unknowingly, some teens end up hurting different groups of people by using this type of slang. Also there is this tendency that people have when it comes to someone not fitting the “norm” of society. This causes discrimination against these groups of people. This common prejudice in society towards people with disabilities,  people with different sexual orientations, and people of different genders has ultimately affected the acceptance of people in the halls of schools across the country, including Millbrook.

 The word retarded has been used as an insult and to categorize mentally disabled people since the 1900’s.   This has added to the hardships of people with disabilities to be accepted by society.  Naturally, high schoolers tend to judge or feel uncomfortable with people that are considered different according to society. Sophomore Samara Demary, who assists the special needs cheer team Elite Wildcats, said, “I feel like teens with disabilities are just like everyone else, and students in school should try to become more open-minded and realize they are capable to do the same things we can.”  Becoming more aware of the possible circumstances of others can simply help them be more successful in learning and also give them a positive high school experience.

 The LGBT community is at its peak of growth across the nation. The growth has also made it way to the halls of Millbrook. The clash between students on this topic mostly deals with their personal beliefs. So, how could we fix this problem? What students can do is stand by your beliefs but also realize that people do not always believe what you believe, and we should all just accept each other as people. Sophomore and member of Gay Straight Alliance Club, Megan Lochen stated, “I believe students should be more open-minded and accepting of students that are a part of the LGBT community. Nobody should feel unaccepted because of who they decide to like regardless if it is the same gender.” Clubs like GSA are a great way to spread the awareness of equality throughout their school. The more information that is spread around the school  will eventually raise more awareness on this topic.

 Over time, the change in acceptance in high school will vary. Freshman Eliya Sidet said, “I think the acceptance of others will improve because once we start accepting others for who they are, and more and more people are being different, it starts to become normal.” As time goes on, it is inevitable that acceptance in high school will change. As the number of disabled students and LGBT students who walk the halls increases, the more people are beginning to open up as they are put in the environments of socializing with their fellow students. As soon as this occurs, the better the environment in the school be, and so will society.