As Inauguration Day approaches, and Donald Trump is about to take office, both the community of de Toledo and the nation wait.

We are thinking about how to best approach the situation.

Every Monday, de Toledo administration and faculty members participate in “B Ring” meetings, which provide a space to engage in conversations about important school matters.

On January 9, B Ring discussed what should happen during the Town Hall meeting on January 20, which coincides with Inauguration Day. The specific question was whether the Town Hall should include a screening of part of the inauguration ceremony.

Some said that it would be best to show parts of the inauguration ceremony at Town Hall, as it is important to express our support for the peaceful transfer of power that is fundamental to American democracy.

Another issue that was discussed was if a clip from the ceremony were shown, how should faculty members best handle strong student responses of any kind?

After consulting with the American Politics Club, the school decided that the Town Hall will show one part of the inauguration ceremony: the swearing-in ceremony, when Trump puts his hand on the Bible and swears to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. In another room, there will be a showing of the full inauguration ceremony, which students can choose to watch during Nutrition.

Many de Toledo students have already reached their own conclusions about this inauguration.  

“I’m absolutely thrilled,” said one junior sarcastically. “But on a serious note, I actually am curious to see what the new leader of our country has to say when he is sworn into office.”

Another junior said, “I know that people were and still are disappointed in the President-Elect. However, I am personally excited to see where this president will take our economy. I think we should all have open minds during this inauguration because hope is the future of our country.”

“A lot of people have been apprehensive and scared of what’s to come…and I am too,” said a sophomore. “But all this backlash against Trump is not fair. We should all give him a shot and see what he can do. Because he is still going to be our president, even if a lot of people don’t like it. We need to at least see what he can do before we finalize our opinions.”

“I don’t think it is fair to complain now. At this point, Donald Trump hasn’t actually done anything yet. We can only complain about him once he actually does something,” said a senior.

The students interviewed seemed to express one widely-held view: we should wait to see what Trump does as president before we reach conclusions about Trump as a president.
de Toledo prides itself on being an open place where opinions can be safely shared amongst the student body. In order to encourage this sharing of opinions even more, The Prowler has launched an “Open Forum.” This forum will be another way of allowing students to share their opinions. So even if you aren’t interviewed for an article, you can still voice your thoughts on the issues that matter to you.