St. Charles High School’s Administrators and Counselors came together to solve a common problem. The average number of fights during a school year at SCHS is six, but during the 2022-2023 school year, nine fights occurred by November of the first semester. Staff and students alike started getting worried about being at school. The uncomfortable feeling started settling into the hallways. The administrators and counselors wanted to get on top of the issue as soon as possible.

“We weren’t doing enough by ourselves so we had to get the students involved as much as possible,” principal Ted Happel said.

The counselors and administrators were feeling like they weren’t doing enough to help make the school a safer place so they all brainstormed ideas to help everyone.

“Mrs. Scaturro was the one who came up with a wonderful idea,” Happel said. “She came up with an online place for kids to submit if they know something is going on.”

Happel had experience from 2021-2022 lunch QR codes. He thought it’d be easier on students to have QR codes posted up around the school for easy access. 

“I think it’s a good idea because it gives students a voice anonymously,” Happel said.

Fighting isn’t the only thing the administrators and counselors are worried about. They want to stop kids from vaping and eating lunches in bathrooms as well. The QR codes came about because of the fighting, but it’s also a way to solve other issues the administration sees.

“We’ve had issues with the bathrooms and just different things going on within the building,” counselor Brad Bichel said. “So a team of us sat down and started brainstorming ideas of whats a way to give students opportunities to communicate without necessarily giving up their name because they don’t want to be snitches and things like that.”

The system the principals and counselors usually use hasn’t been as effective this year. In the past, the principals would deal with the fights and separate the participants. Once the discipline was decided and gone through, the counselors would talk with each participant and come up with suitable solutions. For example, changing classes, changing lunches, etc. to make sure the students have no interaction together for more conflict to arise.

Senior Maddox Meier believes that the new QR codes will help stop fights in the future.

“I think it should be permanent but with changes in the future,” Meier said.

He thinks the placement of the QR codes should be changed and in obvious spots instead of on bathroom stalls. 

Senior Nyla Frierson does not trust that the QR codes will be any help.

“I think it should be permanent but maybe in the future make some changes so it’s more likely to progress onto better things but for now I don’t think so,” Frierson said.

She stated she hasn’t used it and she thinks other students won’t either because they don’t want to be snitches.

Senior Meg Ellison thinks people will treat the QR code as a joke and false report.

“I don’t think it’s going to go super well,” Ellison said. “I think it should be permanent just in case someone wants to do the right thing in the future.”

Senior Jordan Nevels is sure the QR codes help out a lot.

“I don’t mind the QR codes, I’m sure it’s really helpful,” Nevels said.

He thinks it should be temporary until proven it’s worth it.

Senior Luc Bourgeade thinks the QR codes are a good idea to help students.

“The QR code’s good idea to give people the option to do the right thing if there’s things that need to be handled by adults,” Bourgeade said.

He states that the QR codes should be temporary just in case.

Senior Austin Ave Lallemant feels the QR codes a good idea.

“It lets the right people know, like principals and teachers, if something is going on,” Lallemant said. “It creates a safer environment.”

He thinks the codes should be permanent so if anyone doesn’t feel safe they can let someone who is an adult know.