Every year, it seems the RHS administration, staff or underclassmen complain that the senior class is too rowdy or spirited, but it’s one of the traditions that makes attending this school a fun experience, especially for those on their way out. The spirit movement of homecoming week is usually spearheaded by the senior class. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, because it’s their last year at RHS and by this time, most seniors have lost the “too cool to participate” mindset that underclassmen may have. Without the senior class, spirit week would be mediocre at best.
Senior class spirit isn’t harmful in any way. Whether it’s ending lunch karaoke with a “you wish you were a senior” chant, or leading the SOF in a football game, nothing so far this year has given a reason to think that the seniors have taken it too far.
In the past, it has been a senior custom to pull a prank during a school day. During a past spirit week, Generation Day gave way to the “seniors,” who were dressed as senior citizens, to falling in the freshman hallway and block students from getting to class on time. While this may be seen as a fire hazard and a distraction, it’s ultimately a harmless prank that hasn’t resulted in punishment in the past. This year’s senior class did something similar during Tropical Thursday, as seniors laid down in the freshman hallway to “catch some sun.” This caused quite a traffic jam, but continued the harmless tradition.
At the last football game against Stoney Creek, two seniors ran once around the track at halftime with the American and SOF flags. These seniors were forced to then leave the game. Why? What warranted for those seniors to get kicked out of their last football game at RHS for running flags around the track? Nothing.
In addition to that punishment, the senior lipsync was disqualified because the senior section rushed the court and started a senior chant after the senior lip sync performance. While there were no injuries, inappropriate behaviors or harm, this demonstration of unity and spirit was punished. The DQ resulted in the seniors losing the Falcon Cup to the juniors, and coming in third, behind the sophomores. Ultimately, what was set up to be an event that brings the school together left the senior class with a bitter taste and that same “we-can’t-wait-to-get-outta-here” attitude.
Perhaps the biggest reason that this form of school spirit shouldn’t be shunned is the unity that it brings to a class. Coming into RHS as a freshman, you don’t really know where to “fit in,” and you look up to the seniors; a class united. Everyone wants to be like the seniors when their time comes. The senior students have found their place through unity, through spirit. The traditions that the seniors carry on are special to the senior class and the senior class only. These senior “pranks” don’t mean that we will go and shove a freshman into a locker or hurt anyone/anything, we know better than that. These “pranks” shouldn’t warrant punishment to any extent.
While some may argue that the seniors this year have crossed the line and put themselves and others in an unsafe situation, those same people must realize that this is what spirit looks like. This kind of stuff is what makes it a great day to be a Falcon, and to try and take that away from the seniors as they enjoy their outgoing year is a shame.
