Gia M.

Students in “bagel formation” while the Spyglass Editorial Board shares the importance of freedom of the press.

On October 16, 2025, students filled the Hoffman Gymnasium and arranged themselves in the familiar “bagel formation” around the microphone, the air buzzing with conversation. With recent political events such as the shooting of right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk, the arrest and detention of Khalil Mahmoud for participating in pro-Palestinian protests, and the pledge that journalists covering the Pentagon were forced to sign, Student Life organized a town meeting on “Freedom of Speech,” giving Upper Schoolers a chance to share their thoughts on the topic. 

11th Grade Student Life Representative Avin M. ’27 hoped that “Upper School students felt comfortable enough to express their own opinions and get stuff off their chest.”

Members of the Spyglass Editorial Board (Valentina V. ’26, Gemma A. ’27, Tekle S.-J. ’27, and Frances B. ’27) shared a statement about the role of free speech in a student-run newspaper. Editor-in-Chief Valentina V. ’26 said, “We tell the stories and raise the voices of our community members while also reporting the truth and committing to ethical journalism.” 

Valentina continued, “Spyglass views our First Amendment rights as integral to a well-functioning society. A free press means better-informed and educated individuals who can make decisions and recognize the flaws in systems.” 

Student Life read anonymous testimonies submitted on an online form from Upper School students. One testimony appealed to the need for all voices and perspectives to be heard, regardless of political ideology. “It’s important to bring up the scandalization of difference at Westridge. We are a very progressive school, which means any political ideology outside of liberalism can often be demonized and presented as a scandal,” the testimony read.

“I think we sometimes forget the downsides of freedom of speech. There is a line between criminalized and non-socially acceptable. I don’t think free speech is managed enough in some cases, and I think it’s overmanaged in others,” the second anonymous testimony read. “We cancel songs for being too inappropriate, but we don’t care that people are actively typing/saying/joking about literal slurs. Let’s make it consistent.”

As the town meeting progressed, students from all four grade levels participated, raising their hands to get the microphone passed to them. One student defined freedom of speech as the ability to share your opinion without facing legal consequences. Others agreed that legal consequences should not infringe on free speech, but open discourse and disagreement are a vital aspect of free speech. A recurring opinion among students was the critical distinction between free speech and hate speech. While many affirmed the importance of free speech, they also emphasized that it should not come at the cost of bullying others or using derogatory language.

Students’ reflections post-town meeting were appreciative but skeptical of the future. When asked what she thought about the town meeting, Larkin M. ’27 said, “I really appreciated that we finally had a venue to talk about current events. We all deserve to use our voices. I’m grateful the town meeting enabled us to do so.” 

“I felt like the free speech town meeting was a great way of asking us as a community what we thought about it, and if we felt like our free speech was infringed on. Especially in our current political climate, it’s important to discuss these topics even if it may seem controversial or awkward,” said Shania W. ’27. 

Although students found the town meeting to be a forum where they could share their opinions, concerns for the future of the United States arose as well. When asked how she felt after the town meeting, Micaela R. ’26 said, “I thought it was a good topic, but I got really sad as I reflected on the future of America. I feel like our history books will be filled with lies in the future.”