Whispering secrets to open ears often brings pleasure to teens. Due to its contagious and addictive nature, gossiping has become a growing problem around campus.

“Gossiping is a huge problem on campus,” anonymous senior girl said. “A larger school definitely has problems, but more so at FC; everyone knows each other. I know I’ve been gossiped about before, but mainly I’ve just seen many of my friends get hurt. People are selfish; only care about themselves, have no regard for the feelings of others.”

Senior Samantha Krikorian became the center of campus gossip her sophomore year, due to a rumor that she was anorexic.

“I’d always eat my lunch during the period before lunch, so I won’t eat during lunch,” Krikorian said. “Everyone saw me not eating and sometimes they’d offer me food, but I was full so I always turned them down. People started talking more about it and it got out of hand.”

This occurred over the course of two to three months and the rumors reached a magnitude in which Krikorian’s parents heard the gossip and questioned her.

“It didn’t help I ate before coming home, after cheer practice,” Krikorian said. “I tried to explain, but they’d sit me down and make me eat in front of them. It wasn’t traumatizing, but frustrating because people were taking a view of me they heard from other people. No one would talk to me about it.”

Molly Sargent, peer counseling adviser, warns her students about the dangers of gossiping and the damage which it causes.

“Gossip is bad because it can be very destructive,” Sargent said. “Whether it’s true or not, information that is shared without someone’s permission is gossip. If you spread everything you hear, your words can easily be misinterpreted, wrong and hurtful. The worst thing about gossip is that it shows betrayal between people.”

Gossip not only spreads lies and feeds the fire for more rumors; it can ruin the relationship between friends.

“I have lost several relationships due to gossiping,” anonymous junior girl said. “I thought I could trust them. Now I have trouble trusting people in general.”

Misinterpreted inside jokes can also lead to misunderstandings. Juniors John Dinsdale and Breanne Alcorn sat next to each other in English and many held individual beliefs about their relationships.

“As a joke, John wrote on my English notebook and continues to write things like “I love John Dinsdale” and “Mrs. Breanne Dinsdale” multiple times,” Alcorn said. “My teacher saw the notebook and announced to the whole class that something was going on between the two of us. We both just laughed it off, but some people actually believed him. My friends thought we actually liked each other, but we are just friends.”

Teenagers often hone in on new students, which lead to lies and bad reputations.

“People have heard that I shot a cop and took my mom’s car to Mexico,” Tyler Chessum, ’10, said. “It?s not true at all and some of my friends still believe it. There was also a rumor that I was dating a girl and making out with another girl at the same time and place at a Bullard football game.”

Missing practice for sports, choir, band or drama also gives opportunities for spreading rumors.

“On a half day I wasn’t feeling well, but I still had volleyball practice,” Taylor Shaffer, ’11, said. “Before going home, my friend and I talked about seeing a movie since it was half day. I ended up missing practice because I was sick and everyone on my team told the coach I was at the movies. I had to run extra laps as punishment for something I didn’t do.”

Although many continue to spread gossip, an anonymous senior girl believes the only way to avoid misunderstandings is to confront those directly involved.

“People don’t realize how devastating it is until they’re being gossiped about,” anonymous senior said. “They’re aware of the affects, but don’t think they’ll ever stop, because it makes them feel secure to tear someone else down.”