Story by Coleman Armes
Video by Courtney Echerd
Residents of Coppell have heard the “Coppell Bubble” many times, but why do people say this and what does it mean to them?
There is the, “Ugh, I’m so bored, Coppell is such a bubble,” or the “Coppell has that nice small town atmosphere, it resembles a bubble.” Whether it is in a positive or negative way, the saying always seems to find its way into conversations.
Many people have seen the Coppell Bubble comparison for a long time, including Coppell High School Principal Brad Hunt. He seems to see both the positives and the negatives of this bubble concept.
“If [students] do not have any exposure with different people or don’t know how to handle an issue or deal with real world problems, then that is a negative [phrase], but we have diversity and all walks of life here and, to me, that is a positive,” Hunt said.
One of the negatives based on the Coppell Bubble idea seems to revolve around the fact that Coppell is a relatively safe place, which in its self is a good thing, but people worry that when those that have grown in Coppell leave they may not be able to cope with real-life issues, such as homelessness, poverty and other problems the world faces.
Foreign exchange student from Sweden, junior Elin Lundin, believes that the Coppell Bubble idea could possibly be bad idea for that same reason.
“I believe the Coppell Bubble could be bad, but not too bad because it is important to get to know other environments, how other things work, and to meet different types of people,” Lundin said.
There are many positives that go with this saying, too. People enjoy seeing people they know when they go around town, as well as the fact that Coppell is relatively a safe place.
“I like the fact that I run into kids and the small town atmosphere created here in Coppell,” Hunt said.
Lundin thinks Coppell has many positives to the bubble ideas and seconded Hunt’s statement.
“I feel like there is much more school spirit here than in my school in Sweden. I feel like I know more about my surroundings and am safer here, even though Sweden is a safe country,” Elin says.
There is an increasingly new idea, though, that with the widespread use of technology and communication today, Coppell is becoming less of a bubble. Coppell has grown and now seems to be intertwined with surrounding suburbs. Another reason is the athletic success of Coppell.
“I realized that Coppell was less of a bubble when I had a friend from Alabama and another from Tennessee comment on our recent success during the football season,” senior Kallie Savage said.
Whether you agree with the term, don’t agree with the term or maybe just think that Coppell has changed, it seems like one of the words used to describe Coppell will be, like many other suburbs, a bubble.
