The beginning of the school year is a time of change. The leaves start to fade, fall sports begin, and last-minute school shopping is at an all-time high. Many students are transitioning into this new era of their lives. For freshman Jonathan McElroy, the 2025-26 school year was much more than just the beginning of his high school career. It was the year he decided to come out.

     When McElroy first came out at the beginning of his freshman year, he was paranoid about others’ opinions.    

     “[I thought] no one [was]  going to like me,” McElroy said. While walking through the halls of West Albany, he frequently hears the use of the F-slur by his classmates. While McElroy attempts to remain strong and unbothered, the words still sting.

     “I’ll usually just ignore it or laugh it off, but it does hurt,” said McElroy. Though his experiences have not always been positive, he has found kindness through the teachers at West Albany.

     “Teachers have been amazing,” McElroy said.

     Teachers are not the only source of kindness he has found at West Albany. His long-lasting friend group has supported him since the first day.

     “When I first came out, I had a [supportive] group of friends,” McElroy said. To him, friendships are the key to feeling comfortable wherever people are. To those who do not have as solid a friendship, he believes people need confidence in themselves most importantly.

     “Just believe in yourself,” McElroy said.

     With the recent rise of openly gay men in the past years, alumnus Hunter Burris believes the gay experience at West Albany High School has changed since his graduation in 2020.

     “I’m sure it’s changed a lot since I was in school,” Burris said.

     He had been actively coming out during his freshman/sophomore year, but it wasn’t until his junior year that he realized all of his classmates knew. 

     “No experience for a gay individual at school is ever going to be normal,” Burris said.

 Like McElroy, Burris was also paranoid about others’ opinions before coming out as Gay.

     “[I was] always worried I would be criticized,” Burris said, “School can be a scary place.”

     But through Burris’ experiences, he learned it doesn’t have to be. He gave many examples of how to find safety and comfort at WAHS through teachers and peers. 

     “Take it at your own pace,” Burris said, “Once you find what your space is to be a part of, like teachers [or] classrooms . . . those [spaces] help a lot.”

     Burris’ advice does not stop there. After four years of attending WAHS, Burris experienced many hardships involving negative comments.

     “For me in that era, it was always super hard dealing with those types of comments,” Burris said, “You can’t let those words define you.”

     Senior August Slamp, however, has had a very positive experience at WAHS. This was because of the support of his friends and community. 

     “It’s been fairly positive,” Slamp said, “I felt pretty safe.”

     From theatre to his friend group, Slamp has, and still does, find acceptance from WAHS’s community.

     “The community I was around . . . was very accepting,” Slamp said. He may have had a positive experience, but it wasn’t always perfect. Slamp still experienced comments and statements that hurt his feelings. Despite this, he learned to grow from it.

     “I just kind of learned that it doesn’t really matter what other people think,” Slamp admitted, “You’re able to grow from that.”

     As Burris said, school can definitely be a “scary place”. But WAHS is working to make it a safer place with supportive posters in many classrooms as well as a safe space club.

     “It’s not always fun to be seen as different,” explained Burris, “[But] the weirdness is just a part of who you are.”