The following is a letter to the Wilton community from the Wilton High School Student Executive Board President Quin Silva

To the Editor:

“The time is always right to do what is right.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

On Monday night (April 22), a video surfaced and spread across social media, which included harmful rhetoric from multiple students at Wilton High School. While the messages were not generated on school grounds, understandably, members of our school are deeply impacted by the messages that transpired.

The hideous comments used online have created an environment where students don’t feel safe around other classmates. As a leader, it saddens me to know that the place I proudly represent is bringing so much distress to others. There is no room in our society for racism, antisemitism, or any other type of hate. On behalf of the student body, I unequivocally condemn the repulsive language used during the video in question.

Tuesday morning (April 23) was the first time our [high school]] administration heard about what had happened. Thanks to the help of many other proactive students, we were able to brief [Principal] Dr. [Robert] O’Donnell and all other administrators on what we knew. A week that we all hoped would be a smooth step closer to graduation had turned into everyone’s worst nightmare.

During times of great anger and disgust, it is understandable that we want to see results quickly. Credit to our leadership team, nothing was to be done until all facts were collected and a plan of action to face this problem head-on was formed. To echo the feelings of [Superintendent] Dr. [Kevin] Smith and Dr. O’Donnell, people are reasonably anxious to hear as much information as possible about the situation. Sadly, the legality of the situation ties up the line of communication between the school and the community regarding consequences. While I wish I could know more, I can assure you that swift action is being taken so that those who committed the harmful acts will learn the consequences of their actions.

“Why does this happen?” It is a sentiment I repeatedly hear while walking the halls. People do insensitive and harmful things because they don’t know the impact it has. Our words can carry the weight of the world. When words are used to tear others down, they can do unimaginable damage. Whether what happened was a result of pure hate or insensitivity, what we need to do now is allow open dialogue and let community members express themselves.

Students and teachers alike are hurt by what happened. Nobody wants to feel that they inhabit the same space that racism does. What has stood out to me over this past week is the initiative and readiness of our school to attack this problem. I have seen students requesting meetings with the principal to give another viewpoint, and I have seen teachers clearing their entire daily agendas to give their students the floor to speak. It is actions like these that exemplify the values of Wilton High School. Our students and staff are working in unison to prevent hatred from poisoning the good we share.

I urge students to be more aware of what they post on social media. If you are questioning whether or not it’s a good idea to post something, you probably shouldn’t. I also urge parents to be more aware of what your children are looking at online and to promote dialogue between you and your children about what values you want to represent.

While it is easy to point fingers and ask others to solve problems, we must look inside ourselves and see how we can make a better world for everyone around us.

Thank you for your time,

Quin Silva
Student Body President, 2023-24