For over 30 years, in the courtyard during Parker’s County Fair, you could find every member of the senior class passing out hot dogs and hamburgers to younger students and parents, wearing their signature “Senior Barbecue” t-shirts.  This year, the senior grade heads, Upper School drama teacher Leslie Holland-Pryor and Upper School science teacher Xiao Zhang, decided to alter this tradition. For the first time, seniors that are big brothers and sisters to first through fifth grade will work with the booths of their assigned grades.

“Our goal this year is to focus all the attention on their role in the community as big brothers and big sisters,” Zhang said. “We also hope that the seniors will go to County Fair wearing their big brother, big sister shirts.” Zhang hopes that the senior class will take their role as mentors very seriously this year.

Third grader Oliver Charfoos can’t wait to be spending more time with his big siblings during County Fair. “I am happy and so excited that they are going to help us,” Charfoos said. “I love my big brothers and sisters so much.” Many seniors are not as excited as Charfoos to be with their siblings, though.

With only having some of the seniors work the barbeque, Zhang and Holland-Pryor decided to not give out the classic “Senior Barbecue” t-shirts. Seniors are not happy.  “We have had conversations with the junior grade heads and realize that this is something that was done last year with the junior tea room,” Zhang said. “And I know that anytime you change a tradition it could upset some people because it has always been done that way. We want to reimage this tradition a little bit.”

“We were told that they did not want to buy us more t-shirts, despite the fact that our grade has never gotten a County Fair t-shirt, ever,” senior Sarah-Jayne Austin said. “They said they were getting rid of the shirts so they could put the money towards a better cause.”

The seniors were informed of this decision during a grade room earlier in the year.  Many students, especially those who have attended Parker for many years, felt as though they should have had a say in this decision.  “I would say the main problem is that they keep making these decisions without asking us,” said Austin. “Then when they make these decisions, they are pretending like it is something that is good for us and that we asked for, which is not the case.”

Parker is a school that has many traditions loved by the student body, and this change in the way County Fair functions for the seniors has left students upset.“Parker is all about traditions,” senior Caroline Viravec said. “It is hypocritical that they are getting rid of a tradition when they focus so much on them.”

After meeting with Zhang and Holland-Pryor and learning that the school will not fund t-shirts for the grade, the class of 2019 decided to design their own shirts to wear to County Fair.  

These student-designed shirts were funded by an anonymous donor who believed that the County Fair tradition is not one that should have to end.  

Two seniors spearheaded this idea. “We did it all ourselves,” Austin said. “We designed the shirts, we found someone who was willing to donate the funds, and we sent out surveys for sizes, and we even have extras in case we forgot anyone. We are planning on handing out the t-shirts the day before County Fair.  We are going to do our best to make it not as obvious while also making sure everyone gets the shirts.”

Knowing that the administration will not be have a positive reaction to the seniors showing up in their new t-shirts, the class of 2019 decided to not tell their teachers. “I am under the impression that nobody has explicitly told either the grade heads or the administration,” senior Sarah-Jayne Austin said, “and I am also aware that most students in the high school know.” I am sure it will get back to some teachers, but at this point we are not planning on telling them until we show up with the shirts.”