As a senior, I feel it is my duty to have a rivalry with the junior class. A little bit of rivalry is healthy and honestly gets the kids who are “too cool” to be involved in school spirit for once.
As I sailed through my high school years, I have observed three different rounds of junior-versus-senior rivalries. In my utterly unbiased opinion, this year’s junior class is the worst of the bunch. To be fair, I can’t blame them for this; I blame it on the pandemic. That being said, this year’s juniors spent some of their crucial years of development stuck in isolation, hence missing out on some key teen moments. For example, these juniors have failed to undergo the awkward phase at the beginning of high school where students tend to shed their middle school friends and find people that they can grow and mature with. Instead, they are stuck socializing with the same kids that they went to middle school with and haven’t grown up as a result.
Despite their lack of maturity, I am shocked and maybe even impressed by their athletic ability. I was caught off guard by the audacity of the class of ‘23 when they took the win in the Football Fest during spirit week. I was honestly astonished by their capability in the sport; especially after witnessing some of the parking “spots” those same players find themselves in. While we’re on the topic of parking, it is a well-known rule that the infamous back parking lot, commonly known as the BPL, is strictly senior parking. Well, apparently not. Some juniors have challenged this rule by parking in the BPL, thus endangering the precious parking for seniors. Seniors, thankfully, shut down this childish behavior by placing pieces of furniture, trash cans, food, desks, and other school supplies on juniors’ vehicles.
But misplacing their cars in the BPL is only one small issue of the juniors’ parking. I frequently see their cars parked in front of fire hydrants, no-parking signs, and, of course, in the ditch across from the baseball field. When their cars aren’t parked, beware when crossing the street because clearly, the class of ‘23 has somewhere to be. Juniors! Slow down. Please. It’s a school zone!
This school year, the Tam administration has attempted to crack down on absences and tardies by assigning detentions to three-time offenders, and more severe consequences for frequent infractors. Making it to class has still been proven to be difficult for most students, and to let you in on a secret, I have had a few tardies and absences myself. However, I think that they could have all been avoided if the juniors had moved their little feet a bit faster. If they had, I would have made it to every class on time. These juniors have got to be some of the slowest walkers I have ever encountered, even compared to the freshman. I was once an underclassman, and when I saw a big scary senior, I would part like the Red Sea to make way for them. I would never stand in their menacing path. This year’s juniors are a different breed.
However, I don’t think this is the only reason absences and tardiness have skyrocketed. I think a decent proportion of missed classes could be caused by some of the photoshoots I have seen around campus. The only way I can think to describe the aesthetic the juniors are going for is “BPL core.” This looks like juniors sporting their trendiest outfits from fast fashion companies strutting around the BPL to get the best “candid” shot, then spending about five minutes editing the photos to fit unrealistic beauty standards. Once the photos are “perfect” they are uploaded to Instagram. #BPLCoreClassof’23.
I acknowledge that every senior class thinks their juniors are the worst. However, I don’t remember past seniors getting detentions because juniors parked in their space, walked slower than a snail, or were blocking paths taking selfies. Not to mention this junior class has never had to undergo the trauma and horrors of the infamous swim unit during their freshman year. They weren’t stripped of their dignity and confidence like the rest of us were. Indeed, last year’s seniors didn’t even share a campus with their juniors for the majority of the year. The way this year is shaping up, I am beginning to envy them.