The silent truth
Organizations participate in day of silence for Red Ribbon Week
photo credit: Kayla Robertson
Walk in silence \\ Participating in the “Silent Truth” day, juniors Ashleigh Bycott, Ryah Hill and Redieat Samson take a day of silence in honor of Red Ribbon Week and the effects of drugs on teenagers. Student Council hosted the event, inviting organizations all around the school to participate by asking several of their members to go silent. “It was such a difficult thing to do, especially coming from a chatty person, but it made it much more significant to understand the true effects drugs can have on anyone.”
November 20, 2020
A teacher asks you a question, but you can’t answer. Your friend wants to talk, but you can’t start a conversation. You want to talk, but you can’t speak.
These were many of the thoughts of 91 students across the campus participating in a day of silence sponsored by the student council called “The Silent Truth.”
Red Ribbon Week is a nationwide event that school districts around America participate in to bring awareness to the dangers of drugs and drug overdose. Unlike the elementary, intermediate and junior high schools who held dress up days throughout the week of Oct. 26-30, Wylie East’s student council wanted to hold a more serious event with an understandable message behind it for the high school students.
“Typically, we would just plan a few dress-up days, like ‘Put a cap on drugs,’” Student Council secretary Ryah Hill said, “but the Silent Truth had so much more of an impact; a greater message, even.”
Stuco asked different organizations throughout the school to volunteer about 13 members each to participate in the event. Each period, 13 volunteers would go silent for the rest of the day, resulting in a total of 91 students silenced by the end of the day. These numbers were specifically chosen for the statistic that about 91 teens die of drug overdose a week, and student council wanted to represent these 91 kids by the end of the day.
“I participated in the Silent Truth with Spanish Honor Society to help raise awareness for my peers that may not know about the effects of drugs,” senior Sergio Blanco said. “It was a meaningful day to help inform others.”
Each volunteer was forbidden from communicating in any way, from speaking to sign language, even writing notes and texting were off limits; however, they weren’t given a “free day” in class. The volunteers still had to participate in learning and their class activities.
“It was so difficult to resist talking to my friends and speaking out,” junior Evelyn Lopez said.
As the day went on, positive feedback from teachers was sent to student council advisor Breeghan Gholson; staff all around the school told her they loved the event and the message it portrayed.
“I felt so proud of our Student Council leadership that came up with this idea that was executed so well,” Gholson said. “I also felt proud of all of our student body who participated and brought awareness to a devastating statistic.”
