Sitting in the belly of Rider High School for the past almost four years, there’s been a motto that’s been drilled in students’ minds: “One Family, One Team.”

How can we as people spread this propaganda to the next generation of Raiders when this “family” often makes other “family” members feel so low about themselves, but when it comes to the people or the teams who grab the high school brass rings, they’ll praise them to the day they’ll die…until high school is over and those rings mean nothing?

As I crawl these halls I see some students harassing others, tossing out homophobic slurs like there’s nothing wrong with that behavior.

Of course, those students aren’t the only causes of the problem.

I am also guilty.

Recently, I watched a student trip down the stairs, and no one helped that person, including me. Instead of helping the person up, they just laughed. I didn’t laugh. I didn’t even bat an eye. I just watched. And that is just as bad.

It’s totally sickening to see a great rally cry soiled.  And I completely respect anyone that lives by One Family, One Team.

Now we need to take a stand, we need to stop the lies and stop the pain.

When someone chants “One Family,” scream, “One Team”. But think about what you are shouting; Are you just saying something, or are you living it?

We need to join hands and stop the madness. Some random column may not be able to stop it right off the bat. But it’s a good place to start.