By 2015, most people would assume that using racial profanities, discrimination, and being racist in general is not okay. But for some reason some students here at Air Academy have forgotten that. Whether it is direct, indirect, or unintentional, we, as responsible and educated students, need to realize the power that our words have.

We have recently had incidents involving other schools which have left us with a less than reputable name with schools around us. The so-called incidents were during our basketball and hockey games with Pueblo Central and Cheyenne Mountain High School, and were left for student council to express our sincerest apologies for those who, have not only directly spread hate through athletics, but who also continue with negative and overall derogatory comments on social media.

When asking students themselves how they feel about race, there were some differences in whether or not they themselves had been a target for racism (these differences, however, were notably due to race) but altogether conclusive that the school has some problems.

As for hearing racist terms, student, Kathryn Dowell, said, “Kids say things jokingly and don’t understand that even if it’s a joke, their words have power.”

Samantha Wickham talked to me about what needs to be done in order to change certain people’s behavior. “Respect? Respect everyone and their culture and everything. Do not view people based on their race, but that doesn’t mean ignore it either because you will be erasing their culture…a part of who they are.”

It’s clear that some students, whether intending to or not, are oblivious to the effects that some words or phrases can have on people, especially if it is towards races that have had oppression in their past.

“As far as discrimination,” Kenneth Reini said, “There are harsh jokes that are made like I should go back to my own country, where’s my green card, or that I was born to work in fields. At this school there is never any hostility in the jokes, but it doesn’t mean that the racism wasn’t there.” As far as changing people’s words and actions, he said, “I think it’s already changing. People don’t think about what they are saying and you need to remind them.” And because of our Konnections class two weeks ago, students and teachers seem to have become more aware of what they are saying, no matter whom it is to.

It is not only Air Academy that has taken some heat for racism. The University of Oklahoma’s fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon has recently been in the national headlines over a controversial chant including the N word. So far, the men in the fraternity have moved out of the house from orders of the OU president. Graffiti has been sprayed along the house saying, “Tear it down.”

Here’s hoping that the students at Air Academy who are hurting both visitors and our own will learn the rule that most did in elementary school: think before you speak. Speaking on behalf of our students, our deepest apologies go out to the schools and students that have been affected.