D’Anne Kroemer
Seniors Kushal Maridu and Josie Kaffenberger are crowned 2022 Homecoming king and queen at the Homecoming assembly on September 16th.
As the school year kicks off, one of the more exciting events that students look forward to is the homecoming dance—and all of its traditions. With a new class of seniors emerging, the long awaited homecoming court is now upon them. However it appears that tradition has died, and seniority along with it.
The 2022 Homecoming has seen changes by adding “class attendants,” voted upon by their respective grades, to be representatives alongside the senior court. The addition has aggravated many students across the school for its disruption of a beloved tradition.
One of the main concerns voiced by the senior class is the fact that something that has had such high anticipation over the past three years has now lost its significance.
Senior court member Kylie Crome viewed court how many freshman freshmen used to. Crome expressed the emotions the senior class has been holding onto. “I couldn’t wait till it was our grades turn to experience it, and I would look up to the people on court,” she said. “I was so excited for senior year, but never had I had the feelings of wishing I was on it then.”
Allowing the underclassmen to be a part of the court diminishes the excitement for the tradition by the time those underclassmen become seniors.
The decision to change the court was one that was facilitated by Spartan Assembly advisers Zach Miller and Kristy Carr. “Homecoming is a whole school activity,” Miller explained. “It was a change made to make the event more inclusive,” Carr added.
Homecoming is a school wide event: it’s an activity that everyone is allowed to participate in. However, seniority has long been a tradition within the high school. At sporting events, it is up to the seniors to lead the student section, come up with themes and sit in the front. Seniority is something that is earned and there are certain advantages granted to students with time.
Inclusion is not the issue.
This wasn’t a decision for the students because it wasn’t a decision made by the students.
PV graduate and former Spartan Assembly Executive, Will Fairman, recounted his time in the council. He describes the student council as “student run, not student led.”
Throughout his time as an executive, Fairman often felt like the members had little say. “All significant decisions come from the top [faculty advisors]. Even if there is unanimous disagreement among the forty members, they still are expected to carry out these decisions,” he said.
Fairman has heard nothing but negative responses regarding the new changes. He credited the environment within the council as the reason why the Spartan Assembly is decreasing in involvement and attendance.
For a decision to be “inclusive” for the students, it has to actually include the voices of the students.
As the buzz around court dies down, along with its significance for the senior class, students are left wondering about this decision’s implications. Seniority is an earned right, not given. Homecoming traditions need to be left alone. Otherwise, what’s next? Is prom for freshman and sophomores too?