THE EXPRESS STAFF SINCERELY,

The 2023-2024 school year is now upon us, allowing people to reconnect with friends who they have not seen all summer. However, instead of gravitating toward the people you already know, I suggest this school year we all try to step out of our comfort zone and welcome new faces into our lives.

Imagine you are walking to your lunch table with your friends, eager to sit down and catch up in the middle of the school day. As you make your way over to the table, you pass someone sitting alone. What do you do?

As unfortunate as it may be, that person will most likely be ignored. Many teenagers are so focused on their own group and conversation to the point where they do not even notice the person sitting alone.

Between students and staff, our school has roughly 1650 people. This can be very intimidating, causing people to hide their natural tendency to be generous, outgoing and kind. They may do this as a safety mechanism to