Upon meeting someone for the first time, judgements are created and assumptions are made. That’s involuntary. But what happens when first impressions are not only applied to people but places? What would people say when walking down FC’s hallway between classes?

After hearing multiple accounts of burdened hearts and bad impressions, The Feather staff wishes to address the student body about what outsiders view. Though many students will vouch for the love and support they feel from their peers, others feel the tension between unlikely friends.

When walking down the hallway, students tend to be blank-faced, thinking about that homework they might have forgotten, the vocabulary test after lunch or even remembering what their mom told them that morning. In being so preoccupied with individual lives, students forget they are part of a community.

The hallway is full with students staring at the ground, refusing to greet their teachers and peers. The majority of the student body is so concerned with their own lives, that those who need support are slipping through the gaps.

The Feather staff has reported multiple cases where students leave Fresno Christian after failing to find a community they felt accepted into. Despite our theme, “We Are One: Growing in Christ,” the student body is failing to reach every piece of the “family.”

Repeatedly, the faculty sells the school based on the family atmosphere that is a common highlight on campus. But could every student vouch for that same impression?

In order to change these bad impressions to good impressions, The Feather staff encourages individuals to reach out in love, even to their “extended family.”

Another lecture in chapel won’t change the cold stares that some students face each day. Instead, students need to make a conscious, daily effort to see the gaps and fill them.

The Feather especially wants to encourage those students who will vouch whole-heartedly about the family community on campus. That love and support that you feel should reach every student, despite the number of years on campus. So, look up in the hallway and search the crowd for an unknown face.

For those students who have felt that overwhelmingly welcoming feeling on campus: everyone deserves that. Community doesn’t exclude the weird kid in math class or the shy girl no one knows, rather it includes anyone and everyone associated with campus activities.

Remember that first impressions make a difference, so The Feather encourages students and teachers to work towards making first and all impressions better than just a community, but a family that knows and supports each other.

For more opinions, read the Nov. 15 article, Drama director reflects on production details. For the previous editorial, read the Oct. 17 article, EDITORIAL: Start a fire, spread a rumor.

Follow The Feather via Twitter: @thefeather.