May, 2023
By Nelly Mercado, News & Commentary Editor
* Disclaimer this is not my opinion, the information stated in this article was taken from a survey given to all grade levels.*
KIPP Austin Collegiate students have presented several justifications for the idea that would establish a school choice decision to allow underclassmen to sit on the bleachers. Upperclassmen oppose such a ruling, viewing it as a direct threat to the tradition of sitting on the bleachers during their senior year of high school. A poll was taken at KAC to determine the students’ perspectives on why they agree or disagree with the underclassmen sitting in the bleachers. Through the course of two weeks, 121 students, consisting of 9th, 11th, and 12th graders, overwhelmingly voted that underclassmen should not sit in the bleachers.
Senior teacher Franklin Strong states that he is against underclassmen in bleachers for reasons of senior privilege and that it is a tradition that should be maintained. “It encourages unity among the senior class, which is incredibly important before seniors leave for their graduation,” Strong says.
The decision to sit in the bleachers is seen as unfair by freshmen. The pep rally is allegedly rigged; according to several, they claim that it is unfair to only allow one grade to use the bleachers at once, and they complain that sitting on the floor is uncomfortable. One freshman says, “It is unfair for the freshmen because the seniors have the ability to make a lot of noise from screaming; they win. Also, the floor is uncomfortable.”
On the contrary, many freshmen state that they understand that sitting in the bleachers is a senior tradition and are hopeful for the day that they too become seniors and continue the tradition. One ninth-grader says, “Seniors are the only ones who should sit there because this is their last year, and so they should be the ones to sit on the bleachers.” Another freshman’s opinion is a mixture of both— “I think they should, but upperclassmen should be the priority. If there are times when seats are available to them, then it’s fine, but if not, I think they should mostly be for upperclassmen.”
Sophomore Mikayla says, “No, they don’t deserve it. Seniors should have the chance to experience the last year as the last year and feel like a bigger class.” In addition, she suggests, “They should move the area juniors sit in so they don’t sit on the back but instead sit on the sides; they should sit in the section where the freshman sit.”
Juniors do not want freshmen seated close to them, and in addition, they believe it is unfair for freshmen to sit on the bleachers as early as 9th grade when seniors had to wait for their spot on the bleachers. As eleventh grade Karyme says: “Because upperclassmen have been in school longer than them, and it wouldn’t be fair because when we were underclassmen, we couldn’t sit in the bleachers.”
Unsurprisingly, every seniors, except for one, said no. One said, “Even though such rituals may seem silly, seniors and freshmen alike can enjoy them. Imagine how good it will feel as a senior to stride right over it, knowing your time has come. The slight change in your path to avoid the tile may feel inconvenient now. Seniority is a significant rite of passage in high school, and it is an authority that shouldn’t be abused. There is a lack of seniority among the current freshmen and sophomores. To be honest, because of the pandemic, they haven’t gone through a typical high school experience, so their knowledge of these customs and unwritten rules is limited.”
The minority senior however counter argued, stating that, “It’s like a privilege for everyone.”
While a majority of KAC students said no to underclassmen sitting in bleachers, the main concern for underclassmen was continuing to sit on the floor, as this is something that all grade levels deal with except seniors. As stated by a junior, “I think the bleachers should stay for the seniors, but have something else for the underclassmen to sit on besides the floor (it’s very uncomfortable).”
The Cardinal Post 