On Tuesday, Jan. 8, two students from Attleboro High School were suspended after a fight in B2 Cafeteria. Rumor has it, this "gang" fight erupted on MySpace while each was talking trash to the other.

The fight was broken up within minutes by teachers.

Both students involved in the fight are being sent to Attleboro District Court on charges of assaulting public employees.

One teacher received a bruised lip, another was elbowed in the chest and the third teacher was fine, according to the principle Don Frederick. The nurse checked the teachers and each went back to teach their class.

The next day, AHS made the front page of The Sun Chronicle. To top that off, it made the Channel 10 and 12 news.

After reading about AHS and seeing the school on the news, you may be thinking "What a dangerous school." On the other hand, many students think the media exaggerated. "Seeing AHS in the newspaper is one thing, but once we were on the news I was shocked. I can't believe how serious the media took it," said junior Erik Guillette.

"I'm upset that the media made our school look so bad. AHS is truly not a bad school and I don't think any serious gangs exist," said senior class President Amanda Achin.

In my four years at AHS, I've seen and heard of fights, arguments, drama, you name it, but nothing too serious. You don't see a fight every day.

"I feel like what happens at AHS happens at a lot of schools. I think that this time, things got out of hand and exaggerated. I wouldn't say there are actual gangs. Every school deals with the occasional 'boys be boys' lunch fights," said senior Adam Blanchard.

Over the last week, rumors spread throughout the school. Do gangs exist at AHS?

Maybe, but what exactly is a gang? Could a bunch of my friends and I just get together and call ourselves a gang?

Real gangs are not just a big city nor inner city problem, nor are they a problem of a particular race or culture.

Gangs cross all ethnic, racial and gender lines.

They bring fear and violence to neighborhoods, traffic in drugs, destroy property, involve youth in crimes and drive out businesses. Gangs pull teens away from school and home into a life of violence. "They are teenagers who just want to belong to a group," said grade 11 Dean Karen Johnson.

Principal Frederick denied that the Jan. 8 fight was gang related. "After watching the video about five times I could see that it wasn't a gang issue," said Frederick.

"We are addressing this issue in a myriad of ways. It regards culture and how students can be fully engaged in opportunities in the high school," said Superintendent Pia Durkin.

"We take anything that may endanger students seriously," said Assistant Principal Richard J. Reynolds.

"Some kids walk around the halls like they are so tough. It makes me so mad because they aren't at all," said senior C.C. DeVisscher.

"I'm not worried about all this at all; it's just a bunch of the lower classmen who think they're gangs," said senior Leah Shea.

"I've also been here four years and I haven't seen any real gangs," said senior Bobby Parks.

What's bothering me is some students really are afraid and worried about what's going on at school. The younger students, sophomores and freshmen, are more concerned about what's going on than the juniors and seniors.

Ask any upperclassmen what they think about all this gang talk and they'll laugh in your face. I'm a senior and I can tell you I have absolutely no fear coming to school. We aren't taking the fights seriously because we've seen it before and it's hasn't become an issue.

"I think gangs in Attleboro should not be looked at as a big threat to others or taken so seriously," said senior Lizz Wilson.

"I think that if there is an issue the administration will take care of it," said senior Gary Thibault.

I have older siblings who attended a high school with "real" gangs that led to one of their friends being beaten up, thrown onto train tracks and left to die. Now that's serious.

"I think that gangs at AHS do exist, but it's not anything serious. No one is getting shot or stabbed," said senior Aaron Patterson.

"Until something serious happens, I don't think anyone is really concerned," said senior Hans Johnson.

Then again some teachers believe these so-called gangs are getting pretty serious, but who could blame the faculty after a couple of teachers were hurt trying to stop a fight?

Gang related or not, I think it had nothing to do with why innocent teachers were hurt just trying to help. I think fights put teachers in the worst position. Teachers obviously can't just let students fight, but when they try to help they risk being hurt.

"I felt that teachers getting hurt was a big issue. But I don't think it had anything to do with gang relations. This also could have happened if two girls or boys with anger problems went at it. Teachers were not targeted, but when they stepped in, they were accidentally hurt," said senior Eric Messier.

I think stupid fights and rumors are giving my school a bad name. I don't want to go on a college interview and be asked, "Isn't your school the one with all the gang-related fights?" Come on now, this is getting out of hand. AHS is really not a bad school.

"I think the concern is very real. What happens outside of school affects what happens inside of school. I don't know much about gangs but I know that they are made to protect each other from other gangs. Well, if there weren't any gangs in the first place there wouldn't be a need to protect each other," said English teacher Patrick Parker.

"I think that this 'gang' issue is more of a 'clique' issue," said grade 9 Dean Brian Downey.

"If there were more to do around town I think this 'gang' problem would decrease. I think that teens nowadays just get really bored with nothing to do, so they get together and form little 'gangs' and try to cause trouble," said senior Cherayl Pharmakis.

"These want-to-be gangsters are ridiculous. This is Attleboro, not Compton; they need to get real and grow up," said senior Matthew Diomede.