Open forum for secrets
January 24, 2018
Many students of Diamond Bar High School may be familiar with DBHS Confessions, a Facebook page that has shot to popularity among Brahmas in recent years. From gushing about crushes to divulging innermost musings, students use the page to read about and express what they don’t feel comfortable revealing to anyone else.
Founded in 2015 by class of 2017 alumna Administrator K (the administrators have decided to remain anonymous), DBHS Confessions has become a go-to entertainment page for many of the school’s frequent Facebook users. Students and teachers alike have interacted on the page, which allows anyone to submit anonymous thoughts through a Google form. Inspiration to create the page came largely from WHS Confessions, according to Administrator K.
“I thought it’d be nice and interesting for DBHS to also have a confessions page so people would have a space where they can speak their mind without having to worry about their identity,” Administrator K said. “When I created the page, I didn’t really have a concrete plan as to how I would manage the page. I just kept the page up in case people would find it.”
Currently, DBHS Confessions has garnered over 1,200 follows online and is managed by a total of five administrators. While administrators Star, Bell and Card remain students at DBHS, administrators K and Dice graduated last year. The alumni still occasionally assist with the page and give input.
“If anything, it’s always thanks to the support of everyone reading…and submitting confessions. The page is run by admins, but its true potential and power lies in the hands of everyone else,” Star said.
DBHS Confessions began to receive more submissions around October 2015. The page receives just a handful of confessions per day, though the rate fluctuates depending on events such as school dances or major news. Influxes of submissions also tend to flow in on significant holidays or soon after new ones are posted by the admins.
Not every confession submitted is posted, however. The page follows guidelines that strictly prohibit any form of cyberbullying. Spam, excessive swearing or emojis, names and controversial topics have also been filtered out by the admins.
“This page and the admins will not always be perfect regarding our activity. After all, we all are, or once were, just high school students. There may be some issues or conflicts that occur from time to time, but we hope to maintain this page as best we can,” Administrator K said.
When submitting confessions, students are asked to select a poll option disclosing their age group. Data on demographics collected by the page show that most confessions are submitted by juniors, sophomores and seniors in descending order. These demographics are not necessarily definite; however, as the poll is optional and susceptible to false answers. As administrators cannot look after the page forever, administrator trials are typically announced around spring and summer of each year.
“Many admins we accept sadly go inactive and never post anything,” Administrator Bell said. “[But the trials are] relatively easy to pass if you understand the rules.”
Students often speculate on who the administrators might be, but the individuals filling these clandestine roles must not stray from their responsibility no matter the pressure.
“I know you’re an admin,” a fellow Brahma once said to Administrator Card. Sworn to secrecy, she denied the accusation repeatedly. It was only afterward that Card discovered the student pestering her was none other than Administrator Dice.
“Not everyone knew I was Admin Dice on the team, so I wanted to test out Card’s response. Later I messaged her, and she stated it scared her,” Dice said via Facebook. “A cruel act by me, but it showed I can trust Admin Card.”
While all the administrators currently on the team are now aware of each other’s identities, applicants are not permitted to reveal to anybody that they are seeking a position until after the process. On occasion, this does lead to surprises.
“Admin Star and I have been friends since before our adminship, [yet] we didn’t even know the other applied,” K said.
Upon graduation, however, an administrator may make the decision to reveal all or part of their identity if they choose to do so.
