Growing up, we look forward to senior year. Turn on the TV, and there are a million movies about seniors finding freedom, young love, and endless partying all while never paying much attention to the parents they come home to. It’s “10 Things I Hate About You,” “High School Musical,”  and “The Spectacular Now,” which are all beyond cheesy but endlessly entertaining.
And while senior year in many ways can actually feel like that, it can take a while. First semester is long and filled with way too many essays, and you learn how to do more waiting that you would like. So when May rolls around, and weather starts to get nice, you’re ready for everything the movies seem to promise.
For the past month, our grade room has been about planning. When is ditch day? Do you want college t-shirt day to happen? What will the prank be? What kind of class gift should we leave behind? Who are you walking with for graduation? Have you ordered your cap and gown yet?

Whether you cannot wait to run out after getting your diploma, or you want time to stop, there’s no denying that the final month at Parker is an exciting one.
I can’t speak to the experiences of seniors in years prior, but it often feels like the school isn’t, and doesn’t want to be, on the same page as its seniors. After over a year of the crazed college process, we’re told that maybe college t-shirt day shouldn’t happen. Hammocks for the class gifts are deemed dangerous, and our only option becomes donating to a fund with no clear end-purchase. Finally a prank is approved only to be shut down the day of for its alleged promotion of drugs and alcohol. But hey! They threw us an ice cream social.
At Parker we toss around the word censorship way too much–in many senses, I think the word has lost its actual meaning for the student body. I’m not writing a piece about how the administration has censored the seniors one too many times.

I think the school has become too sensitive.
Parker prides itself on being politically correct, and while that certainly fosters a comfortable learning environment, can we go too far? Take college t-shirt day. The evening before the celebration, I was submitting yet another vote on whether or not we could all show up wearing our shirts the next morning. It took conversations with teachers, talking in graderoom, and way too many Google Forms for a decision to be made.
The day is not about the name recognition of the schools. Quite honestly, it’s a celebration of the process being over and a chance to celebrate the finals weeks we have together. We take photos then call it a day.
When I talk to people from outside of school, they all laugh that our ditch day and prank are pre-approved by the administrator. Yeah, it’s kind of funny… up until it feels like the school doesn’t really want the events to happen at all.

Every idea we wanted for the senior prank was shut down. How about turning the school into a roller rink? Sure, but you can only skate in the parking lot, and we can’t provide skates. Okay, so what about switching schedules with Latin? It’s too complicated to sort out student IDs (since when do high schoolers actually sign in and out at Parker?).

Finally we can have a darty in the hallway! It’s all approved and ready to go: from conference through lunch, we’ll have tables in the hallway, music, “water-pong,” solo cups, and root beer. During my F-period math class, before the music has even begun to play, marking the end of class, we hear news that the prank is being shut down. The administration didn’t realize the prank would be “promoting the use of alcohol.” Making my way to the third and fourth floors, our prank had been moved into the upper school office and the dean’s office.
It comes to a point where you wonder if the school even wants us to have a prank or a college t-shirt day in the first place. And if that’s the case, they should come out and say it rather than sending mixed messages. But if that’s the case, why?
I understand the school wanting to make sure that nothing gets out of hand, but we’ve been told our whole lives that seniors are trusted to be good examples. If we’re not trusted to do so, then how can we ever show the school that we are in fact organized, capable, and responsible?
I urge the school not to continue down this path–once you start, it’s too hard to stop. Be cautious while still allowing students to prove seniors can in fact have fun while still being respectful. If that isn’t the case, then by all means step in.
Don’t get me wrong, this semester has been tons of fun, but the school has entered a period of sensitivity-overload. The school needs to reconsider how they follow through on the messages they send to students.