As back-to-school scenarios go, the contrast was stunning.

Seneca Valley School District faculty and staff gathered in Monday at a Cranberry Township church for a welcome back event, which adopted a Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood theme in honor of the Pittsburgh-based public television show’s 50th anniversary.

“The focus of the day was on ‘highlighting some of (Rogers’) lessons that are still very relevant today,’” Tuesday’s Butler Eagle reported.

A photo accompanying the Eagle story showed a poster with a quote by the late Fred Rogers, one that succinctly summarizes his philosophy:

“There are three ways to ultimate success:

“The first way is to be kind.

“The second way is to be kind.

“The third way is to be kind.”

Meanwhile, at Union Mine High School in El Dorado, A suburb of Sacramento, Calif., a senior-class student faces battery charges after a first-day-of-school dust-up in her classroom over a Donald Trump “Make America Great Again” ball cap. Cell phone video shows a teacher trying to subdue Jo-Ann Butler after the 17-year-old got enraged at a classmate for wearing the “MAGA” hat and grabbed the hat off his head.

“That’s a racist and hateful symbol,” Butler can be heard saying on the video.

Now she’s been suspended for a week and could face two counts of battery, one against her classmate and one against her teacher — deputies say she slapped him.

The teen says she made a scene to make a political statement.“Maybe just wake people up in some type of way, because it’s not cool the environment our classroom is in,” Butler said.

So there’s the wide contrast: Be kind versus classmate slapdown.

The reasonable individual in this comparison is Jo-Ann Butler’s father.

“Wasn’t handled the way I’d like it,” says Chris Butler, “ ... but as far as the issue being brought up, maybe this is something that needs to be brought up.”

Mr. Butler’s observation is good advice for every parent whose children go back to school after listening all summer to a unique and highly charged political discourse.

Young people should not be stifled for attaining a political or social awareness. However, they do need to understand the accountable involved when expressing their views encroaches on the rights and security of others.

That’s why a Fred Rogers approach remains relevant in a Donald Trump political climate.

Children need to be told — and shown — that it’s noble to strive and strain for what they believe in, and even to confront opposing forces without shrinking. But to do so with love and compassion — with an absence of anger or hostility — that is the heroic path in today’s world.

Children returning to school with this understanding will have a clear advantage as they navigate what often can be a confusing and intimidating culture.