Scrolling on TikTok or on Instagram, it is likely to come across accounts dedicated to their school yet many of them are not officially run by the administration. From prom dress exchanges to game day posts, themes for football games and confession pages these accounts have become an essential part of school culture. Unlike official school pages, these student run platforms are unaffiliated with the school administration, allowing students to connect outside of school.
Although these accounts may be fun and interesting they do raise questions and concerns. What role do these accounts play in student culture? Are these accounts positive or negative for student relationships?
Senior Kate Erickson runs the student prom dress account, where students can send their prom dresses anonymously to make sure there aren’t any repeats of dresses.
The process begins by sending a message into the account with the details of the dress, a picture of it, the name, and where it is from. Lots of other schools and past proms at DePaul Prep have made these accounts.
“There aren’t any issues and the school administration hasn’t interfered. Its really fun to be a part of this outer part of the school community and it is an exciting process to be involved in.” Erickson shares.
Prom dresses and prom in general can be a very stressful time but also exciting for seniors. Prom is a special time and a great way to end the school year and with accounts like this one, students get to share their excitement of their dresses to make each one unique and special and express themselves within the school community but not physically at school.
As students view unaffiliated instagram accounts as fun or as a form of expression, teachers and administrators view them slightly differently. It is important to understand the idea and intentions behind these accounts and while also thinking about the reputation of the school and how it is being positively upheld by students.
Marketing and Communications Coordinator, Carrie Emge expresses her beliefs and views on the way students express themselves within unaffiliated DePaul Prep Instagram accounts.
“My personal belief and overall view is when posting on social media, would your Grandma be okay with this? Whether you are posting what you had for lunch or where you went for vacation, would your Grandma be okay with it?” Emge explains.
Social media is a major part of expression and when involved with school, affiliated with DePaul Prep or not, it is extremely important to remember the values and the representation of what being a student at DePaul Prep means.
“If what is being posted online is a positive representation of our mission or our five FRESH core values, then that is a great way for students to express themselves outside of school.” Emge adds.
Posting positive and uplifting things builds a strong and responsive school community which is important to also uphold the culture of the school.
“But there can be repercussions based on what you say or do online. If a student has a concern about something at school, their best course of action is to talk to someone in administration about it versus talking into the black hole, which is the internet.” Emge explains.
As soon as you put your school or workplace online, you are now a representative of that. It is important to know the limits of expressions and to uphold values and responsibility to entail a positive culture.
