HAYLIE KOURI and HARRISON SEDMAK –
CV Student Media –
Faith and religion are always touchy subjects in a public setting, especially in high school. But when two close friends, Ella Neal and Emma Clodfelder, set out to create the Fellowship of Christian Students club for a more positive atmosphere in the school, it backfired.
“My friend, who posted the a prayer request sign on her locker, was tormented by many people about what she believed in,” said Neal, “They ripped down her poster several times and put numerous letters of hate in her locker.”
Though these vicious acts of spite and anger were surprising, the members of the club were handling the situation very well.
“I kind of expected some controversy, but it’s not that bad,” said Nadelle Payne, the advisor of the club, “I think that whenever a student has faith, it will have controversy.”
Since some students were vandalizing and complaining about the locker, the assistant principal, Ryan Hollingshead, needed to step in with a legal follow-up.
“…Do we provide any such access in the school for any other non-curricular club or group?… If we do, then we need to let this group do the same as long as it is not truly disruptive,” Hollingshed stated in an email to set the record straight about the school policy on clubs.
Emma-Jean Amann said,” Most of [the members] believed that we have the freedom to believe whatever we choose.”