Cracks in the Walls

Chaerin Kang
6 days ago
4 min read

By Ariel Lee Nov. 12, 2025

In an effort to bring students closer together, the school planned day-long workshops designed to strengthen the community from Sept. 3 through 5, called Breaking Down the Walls. However, despite its positive goals, low participation levels and scheduling challenges ultimately led to the program’s cancellation.

Breaking Down the Walls is a school-based initiative run by Ignite2Unite that focuses on building empathy, unity and stronger connections among students and staff. The school had previously held this program in 2018, when it brought together 773 participants and 68 student leaders. The program typically begins with an assembly, where participants are shown a tone-setting kick-off video titled “We are Better Together!” Then, students and staff are divided into diverse, randomized groups for group activities led by trained student leaders. Running with the motto “Play, Trust, and Learn,” the trust-building games and activities throughout the day encourages students to reflect on the “walls” that separated them from forming connections with others, and what can be gained by breaking them down. Beyond promoting social awareness and emotional growth, the experience involving students from all grades and backgrounds motivates them to engage meaningfully with people they may not normally interact with, strengthening the overall sense of community across the school. The program emphasizes that students are not alone, showing that many share similar concerns, questions, and experiences. Both students and staff were invited to participate to promote inclusivity and to lower the disconnect between them.

For the program to operate, volunteer student leaders were needed to guide the activities; however, because the role required specific preparation and commitment, few applications were received. Despite the fact that the program was intended to involve the entire school and anticipated 600 students and 70 leaders, the school only had around 43 students and 17 leaders sign-ups. Though student absences are excused, the workloads are not—teachers received a short notice before the program began, making it difficult for many to rearrange their teaching schedule to accommodate the event.

“When I first learned about Breaking Down the Walls through Leland’s Instagram page, I was intrigued, but when I saw that it landed on the days that I have AP Spanish, I decided that I would not attend the program because of how much class time I would be missing,” Junior Apurva Tadimeti said.

After the cancellation, the school instead held a one-day program called Academics, Athletics, Arts, and Activities (4A), also run by Ignite2Unite, and involved 125 participants, including six teachers. Students worked in randomized groups of 10, getting comfortable with one another through secret handshakes before participating in activities such as learning cheers and chants, creating smoke machines and other school spirit activities—all of which were featured in the football game later that week.

“Through the planned activities, I had a lot of fun and grew closer with people I never thought I would be friends with. When I see them occasionally on campus, I still smile or wave at them, though we still run in different crowds,” Sophomore Cassidy Hathaway said.

Other activities also focused on student engagement with the school; participants were asked to evaluate the school on a scale of 0-5 and collaborated to generate ideas and solutions for improving the school community, which were brought to ASB. The following Monday, Sept. 7, the staff participated in the same activity of rating the school, and their average was higher by roughly one point than that of the students. Principal Harvenn Bal had similarly planned to invite parents to the same activity on Oct. 23, though it got pushed back due to her sickness.

“Admins need time to reflect on these feedbacks; staff rated the school almost a whole point higher than students did, potentially revealing a disconnect between what we think students want and what students really need,” Meg Walsh Activities Director said.

The 4A workshop concluded with a square dancing activity, which all students took part in, showing that everyone felt comfortable enough after a whole day of bonding to have the whole gym chant and dance together.

While the original Breaking Down the Walls was canceled due to low participation, the one-day 4A program provided students and staff with a similar opportunity to connect and collaborate. Moving forward, the school hopes to be able to hold more workshops like these to build the school community further.

About the Contributors

Ariel Lee

School News and Last Word Editor

Ariel Lee is a junior at Leland High School and the School News and Last Word Page Editor for The Charger Account. In her free time, she enjoys watching movies and shows, hanging out with friends, and eating new foods.

Eleanor Wang

Artist

Eleanor Wang is a Junior at Leland High School and is an artist for The Charger Account. When not working on school work or studying for a test, you can often find her playing video games, singing, or going out with friends.