There are many opinions surrounding whether public schools should celebrate Columbus Day. Columbus Day is a federal holiday which lands on the second Monday of October; this year on October 14th. According to History.com, Native Americans despise Christopher Columbus because he is blamed for starting the snowball effect of immigration from the Old World to the New World. Columbus was also blamed for bringing disease and famine with him that had never been in contact with the New World; leading to high death rates following his arrival. According to the Denver Post, there are also people who believe you should not forget the past; that Columbus was the first person to describe the New World in detail. There should be a middle ground. Columbus Day should not be a Federal Holiday, but it should still be recognized and discussed. 

Junior Alex Young said, “We shouldn’t celebrate Columbus Day because he was a horrible person.” Sophomore Sophine Kevorkian agrees with Young that Columbus shouldn’t be celebrated because, “There were also people that found the New World before Columbus.” However, La Jolla High students are split on the topic. Junior Daniel Dessert says, “We should celebrate Columbus Day because he was pivotal in finding North America. Just because he had a few bad things about him doesn’t mean we shouldn’t. Founding Fathers did some terrible things.” 

A middle ground stance is the only stance that would be somewhat accepted in the polarizing society we live in.