In the last two weeks alone there were two fights here at Tallwood. One was on Monday right before fourth block, and the other one was Wednesday before second block.

Fights are not the resolution to solving a problem. We all get angry, and sometimes the smallest thing can cause us to act out.

“I would think it’s because of outside involvement, stuff happens outside of school and it is brought into school. A lot of he/she say stuff, outside drama, and things that happen on social media,” said Kim Thomas, a school counselor at Tallwood.

Some things that can factor into the reason for added stress is school itself. Students have had to come to school on what were supposed to be staff days and holidays. Make-up days can bring tension when all that students may have needed was a small break from the school atmosphere.

The types of consequences depend on the different variables that go with a fight.

“Coming from a legal aspect, it really depends on what that situation was, the number of people, and if it was an instigation from both parties or if it was just a single attack,” said Christopher Washington, Tallwood’s school Resource Officer.

Fights can be prevented in more ways than one. The recommended ways include walking with someone you know who is good at calming you down or someone you have a good relationship with.

“We’ve been encouraging students to ignore what people say and to come to us if they have issues so we can talk it out before there’re any issues or conflict,” said Mrs. Thomas.

You can try alternate routes in school so you won’t see the person who is making you angry. Another solution could be distracting yourself by listening to music, doing school work, or simply making plans for the weekend.

“Talk, but have someone there with them that can mediate. When other people get involved, that’s when you have a lot of issues,” said Thomas when asked what prevention method could be used to avoid physical conflict.

“Another thing that students can do is not stand and record, don’t cheer it on, don’t gather around where it’s egging on the fight and making it worse,” said Thomas.

“Find a healthy responsible way to deal with it. Name calling, social media bickering, having friends engage and keep the conflict going is not healthy,” said Officer Washington when asked how to deal with the stress and conflict leading up to an altercation.

If it helps, think about after the fight before anything happens. Think about the consequences and how you would feel after getting in a fight with someone. Is it really worth it?