The myth that apathetic teenagers fill the United States recently took a blow.

About 50 high school students in Boulder, Colo., stood up and stepped out of class to protest the use of the phrase “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Instead of reciting the Pledge like the rest of the students at Boulder High School do every morning, the group of students stepped outside and recited their own version of the pledge.

“I pledge allegiance to the flag and my constitutional rights with which it comes. And to the diversity, in which our nation stands, one nation, part of one planet, with liberty, freedom, choice and justice for all,” the students said together on the day of protest.

According to the Denver Post, the group of students used their First Amendment rights to protest not in opposition to the pledge but to the specific reference to God.

The students told the Post they saw the reference to God as a violation of the Establishment Clause in the Constitution, so they decided to protest.

“We don’t object to pledging to our country, but we do object to pledging to a religion,” Ashley Guesman, a protest organizer told the Post.

Although The Optimist does not agree with the students’ argument – we believe that the phrase “under God” belongs in the Pledge of Allegiance – we admire the students’ courageous steps.

In a time when most teenagers are concerned with reality television, these students took a stand on a controversial issue. Rather thancomplain quietly, they went public with their grievances.

Students at ACU should examine the example of the Boulder students and realize that apathy leads to nothing. By uniting and utilizing their First Amendment rights, students at ACU can debate and tackle issues beyond our small West Texas campus.

Without courageous actions like the Boulder students’, the movers and shakers of our society will never know what America’s youth think. Speak and take action.