Many students at Wilde Lake High School, and even Wilde Lake Middle School, shop at the Wilde Lake Village Center. From grocery stores to cafés, the village center has it all. Its proximity to both schools, specifically to Wilde Lake High School, has made it a staple for before and after school shopping. Many juniors and seniors who have early release go to the village center for lunch, almost making the village center an extension of the school community. However, due to multiple student altercations and incidents of theft, the owners and employees of the village center have different thoughts regarding students shopping there. How are students who are respectful of the businesses affected by this? Both sides of this story are important to the school’s relationship with the village center’s businesses.
Gabrielle Gyebi, a junior at Wilde Lake High School, says, “I love shopping at the village center after school. I treat the employees with respect, but I still feel like I’m doing something wrong when I shop, even though I’m not,” and many others can relate to this feeling. It’s unfortunate that the reality is that some people do participate in theft, but “some people” are not everyone. Students who behave respectfully may feel prejudice, such as accusations of stealing or refusal of service simply because of the school they attend.
I also had the opportunity to gather the opinions and experiences of employees at the village center. Jasmine W., a store supervisor at CVS Pharmacy, shared her experience while working; stating,“Operating the store has honestly been really great; the only thing we have a problem with is students from the school stealing, being disruptive, and disrespecting employees,” which has been an issue for some time now. She also added that theft has increasingly gotten worse: “…It was bad when I first started, but it’s really bad now. They come in groups, swarming right after school, on half days, and even on days off.” This creates a complicated situation where businesses want to be welcoming but also need to protect their staff and merchandise.
Being respectful to the people who help uplift our community is extremely important. Everyone in the village center, no matter their position, deserves respect, support, and understanding from the students who visit frequently. Showing appreciation can be as simple as cleaning up after yourself, listening politely to staff instructions, and remembering that employees work long, busy shifts beyond after-school hours.
I believe that everyone wants the same thing: a safe, welcoming environment where everyone is respected. Strengthening the relationship with the Wilde Lake Village Center can preserve the convenience students enjoy while also making the businesses feel supported.