The underclassmen at the high school tend to have very strong opinions about topics they can’t do much about, for instance, politics. A lot of upperclassmen have wondered such young people were trying to make their opinions heard when they would not be able to actually do anything about it for three or four years. The answer seems to be ‘because they can.’

“Freedom of speech. I like people to know how I feel and I like to talk about how I feel. People tend to get their feelings hurt when they don’t agree with you. Everyone thinks that they have to be right. They don’t think with logic, people think with emotion now,” Jake Cochran, 10, said.

Freedom of speech isn’t the only reason why they do this. They may also want to help keep people educated.

“I feel like having people understand that we are the future voters and some students growing up and being educated on certain topics is very important because those students will be voters. They should be knowledgeable on certain topics and stuff, so they have a general idea of what to talk about or who to vote for,” Max Pacheco, 9, said.

While they share their opinions, some people ignore them. Others may make conclusions from what they said, possibly changing their minds to join the sides of these underclassmen who are speaking up.

“My hopes are to change people’s opinions…open them up to certain things,” Pacheco said.

Sometimes, the underclassmen will take to social media to express their opinions. However, their posts aren’t always intended to educate, sometimes they just want to blow off steam. 

“When I see something that gets me irritated, I like to share how I feel about it [on social media] to bring awareness,” Cochran said.

However, other students prefer to keep some opinions off of social media.

“I have lost friends before over politics, and that’s something. So, if someone wants to get into a political discussion with me, maybe privately or something, I certainly will. I try my best to stay away from posting anything about that just to avoid any conflict,” Pacheco said.

While upperclassmen may find it irritating, the underclassmen do see value. Everyone has their own opinions and the ability to share them. Age doesn’t always matter when it comes to giving your opinion.