Imagine your worst enemy encroaching on your every step. You are unable to get rid of them, always following behind you like a shadow. But then again, what if your worst enemy could actually be your best friend? This illustrates the conflicting sides of gossip. Gossip can be as simple as any conversation that is not confirmed to be true. Some say that gossip is a crucial part of the high school experience, while others believe that it can ruin lives. Could it be both at the same time? This is what KHS students have to ask themselves every time they babble behind closed, or open, doors.

Sunny Potter, junior, described her relationship with gossip to be somewhat love/hate. She brought up how there are positives within the negative aspects of gossip.

“Even though sometimes it’s toxic, it gives you something to think about,” Potter said. “I feel like it helps me connect with my friends [by] talking about a teacher we had or something, we can gossip about it.”

Addie Campbell, sophomore, said she knows how tiring gossip can be, especially now that the school year is picking up. Despite this, Campbell stays focused on her school work by remembering that gossip quickly loses its relevance. 

“It feels like [gossip] is such a big deal in the moment but in a few weeks nothing is  going to matter,” Campbell said. “You are not going to remember what happened, to a certain extent, but it is really not as serious as it feels in the moment.”

Sara Gibbs, support counselor, said she guides students through all types of tough experiences with gossip. She acts as a resource for those that may struggle with mental health and said she has witnessed how detrimental gossip can be to a student’s mental health. 

“We have people that won’t even come to school because of gossip and they are avoiding situations because of embarrassment,” said Gibbs. “It just takes over their mental state so that can affect grades and morale. [They become] so focused on that because social [connection] is sort of the center of a teenager’s mind.”

Gibbs said she believes dealing with gossip can be a very tricky thing. Her main strategy for helping students through the hardships of gossip is to teach students to reduce the impact it has on them. 

“Keep things within your control,” Gibbs suggests. “We can’t control others so is there something that we can do to change the situation?”