How To Protest

If there's something you don't like about your school, what you have to do is protest in some way. Whether it's a complaint letter, a petition, or even a sit-in or walk-out, it can usually get you the results you want, as long as you're reasonable.

Notice: The Ocyras Team is not responsible for any action taken as a result of the reading of this article. Please note that depending on your district, sit-ins and/or walk-outs may be illegal. While The Ocyras Team supports protesting, it does not support rule breaking or law breaking of any type. Protesting is done at your own risk.

I'll give you an overview on some of the types of protesting listed above.

COMPLAINT LETTERS: This is the most modest form of protesting. All you do is write a simple letter that expresses your views, gives reasons for your argument, suggests a compromise, yet is still reasonably polite. Make sure your complaints and suggestions are reasonable, though. But, make sure not to make it a compliant letter instead of a complaint letter. Remember, you're protesting.

PETITIONS: Petitions are easy. You open up Microsoft Word or another rich text editor, and make your petition. Your petition must include: the terms people are agreeing with by signing the petition, and a bunch of lines (made up of underscores) so people can sign their names. When you have a whole bunch of signatures, send the petition to your school's administration. You might also want to send a complaint letter with it.

SIT-INS A sit-in is when you... sit in. More specifically, it's when you get a large group of students to just... sit together. In the yard, in the principal's office, in the middle of the hallway, in a classroom, anywhere. There are a few important aspects introduced here. If anybody tells you to leave, DON'T. That will ruin everything. Don't worry, you won't get in "big trouble". With such a large group of students, they can't punish all of them. It would be impossible. Just make sure that every student participating understands this. If somebody asks who started it, nobody answer. Or, even better, tell everybody to say it was them. Sit-ins show that the school really has no power over the students. This method of protest is recommended for more serious problems, after complaint letters or petitions have been ignored or denied.

WALK-OUTS Walk-outs are when you get a bunch of students to just... walk out of the school and go... somewhere. Anywhere. This method of protest is NOT RECOMMENDED and is reported to be ILLEGAL in some areas. You don't want that when you're protesting.

Also, a couple of things to remember when you protest: only protest for something you really believe in. Protesting for mindless chaos is not cool. It's really stupid. However, protesting for a good reason is one of the things Ocyras is all about. Just keep in mind, the ultimate goal is to make school a better place for everybody, including the staff of your school.

By: Alway