During the first week of school there was already a fight in front of a classroom on the high school side of campus.
Bullying and fights are an unfortunate reality in many schools, and CMHS is no exception. Whether it’s verbal teasing, online harassment, or physical altercations, these issues can create a stressful environment for students. Many teens/students say that social media makes it easier for rumors to spread and conflicts to escalate quickly, often spilling over into school hallways.
To get insight into the culture as it pertains to conflict at CMHS, I interviewed a student and this is what they had to say.
Campus Culture
Q: Do you think social media makes it easier for rumors/conflicts quickly?
Anonymous student: “I definitely think social media has something to do with some problems we’ve had on campus. Because with people in our grade, problems mainly start online and then they decide to “deal” with them on campus.“
Counselors and staff to encourage students to speak up if they witness bullying and to use available resources, like the Wellness Center or your counselor, for support. Promoting kindness and understanding among classmates is a simple step that can make a difference in our campus.
The Admin Perspective:
I decided to interview Dr. Ledon who is an administrative intern at CMHS. His job is to “support students from different grade levels. Ensuring that they are completing their work, passing classes, and maintaining above a 2.0 GPA.” Occasionally, he also “checks in with attendance issues or even behavioral issues.”
Q: What should students @ CMHS do if they see one of their peers being bullied?
Dr. Ledon: They should report it immediately. And I know that sometimes with our own social circles with our friends that can seem like something silly, but we offer a lot of different ways for you to report bullying. So you could send us a WeTip, which has a message, phone call, and online form option. You can come see us in the office, you can visit my office anytime, you can tell any campus safety/admin/teacher figure that you see outside of break or lunch. There are a lot of people present on campus.
Q: Bullying seems to be present anywhere, can it be stopped or even prevented. If so, how?
Dr. Ledon: That’s a hard one because sometimes you don’t realize that you’re bullying someone with the things that you’re saying because you think it’s a joke but the other person doesn’t take it as a joke. So just sometimes we need to be aware of how we use language, and how we engage with certain physical actions. Like if we are pretending to pull someone’s backpack it may seem normal to us, but the other person may not like that and they may take it as harassment. So we always just recommend you keep your hands to yourself, making sure that you’re aware of the language you’re using around others and just keeping it fun and chill.
Q: Do you have any idea what the school is currently doing to prevent fights/bullying?
Dr. Ledon: Aside from supervision, there’s a lot of people on campus that are keeping eyes on everybody. That’s why we like to promote student expectations like how everybody got a presentation at the beginning of the year that clearly outlines what we expect of every student at Costa Mesa. And making sure that we’re engaging in the Mesa Way & then every time we see students engaging in good behavior we reward them. So we give five star points, compliment cards and we can take advantage of these rewards for maintaining a safe and positive culture on campus.
Safety and Belonging
Social life at CMHS can be a source of connection and support when handled positively. From pep rallies to club meetings, there are countless opportunities for students to make friends and find their place. Building a healthy social environment means respecting differences, celebrating diversity, and standing up for others. By focusing on inclusion rather than exclusion, students can help create a safer, more welcoming version of CMHS for everyone.
Check out: https://sites.google.com/nmusd.us/social-life-cmhs/home for more information.
