“To me, The Pledge of Allegiance represents an individual’s support for the current political climate of the United States,” junior Ava Sorgman said. “If I am not happy with the politics in the United States I am not going to stand and support the United States.”
Over the years, some students have observed a decrease in the number of students standing during the speaking of The Pledge of Allegiance in school.
“Sadly, I think The Pledge of Allegiance has lost its importance especially since people don’t recognize or stand for it as much as they used to,” sophomore Liv Riggsbee said.
Senior Clayton Hinson agrees.
“I remember in elementary school, all of us would stand up for The Pledge and say it, but now as time goes on, more and more people are sitting down and not saying anything and choosing to ignore it,” Hinson said.
While each student has their own unique reason for sitting or standing during The Pledge, Sorgman details her stance on the topic.
“One reason why I choose to sit is that I don’t like how The Pledge of Allegiance says ‘under God’ because I believe in the separation of church and state and feel that there shouldn’t be any religious reference if you are talking about just the United States,” Sorgman said. “Another reason is that I don’t like how we are taught The Pledge of Allegiance in Kindergarten. At that age, no one really understands what they were saying so it’s like you’re blindly pledging your allegiance to something, but you don’t know what it means.”
Another common reason as to why some students choose to sit during The Pledge is that they feel their homework is of a higher importance during the Plus 1 period.
“I don’t stand because I am either doing homework and don’t want to stop what I am doing or I am too lazy to stand up,” senior Elizabeth Nash said.
Other students, like junior Jillian Holt, disagree and stand for The Pledge out of respect for our nation’s military veterans.
“I stand up for The Pledge of Allegiance because I think it is respecting our country and those who have served fighting for it,” Holt said. “I think it is rude to sit because they put their life on the line for the people of this country and by sitting, you are not respecting all that they have done.”
Like Holt, Hinson feels that those who have served in the military deserve recognition for their service to the country.
“Obviously they have a right to sit down and they have a right to exercise freedom of expression, but I think it is disrespectful just because they don’t understand what it was like to go into combat,” Hinson said. “I agree America has a lot of problems and that there are many flaws with our country, but I am here in a school with people of different races, genders, beliefs and sexualities, and the reason for this is because people fought for that right… I think it is only fair for us to respect them.”
–By Madeline Conte
