Suds Richardson
Staff Reporter
Booing freshmen has been called a tradition by many students at Ironwood High School. Many staff members disagree however, as at the latest assembly they did their best to mitigate it in hopes of stopping it forever. Students, for the most part, did not agree with this as administrators are trying to push for a more welcoming environment. Here is the scoop on it.
Starting with the students, most seem to be in opposition to it. Upperclassmen have stated that they see no one getting really hurt from it and that it is a tradition to boo the freshmen. Freshmen agree as well, saying that some find it funny or do not see why it needs to end. One freshman said, “It’s stupid. It’s stupid that we couldn’t get booed because it was a tradition,” with another freshman saying, “I kinda like the joke of it and, so, it honestly makes sense.” Most students agree that the ban was not necessary and that it was a fun joke for the incoming class.
Staff and administration disagree with the students. They believe that to create a welcoming environment it is important to not boo them and to allow for inclusivity in our assemblies. When asked why the ban was put in place, the Vice Principal of Ironwood stated, “One of the things is that some of the students weren’t wanting to go to assemblies anymore, and the whole point of a spirit assembly is to get everybody involved and to raise the spirit and to get everybody excited about things.” She also added later that freshman and a lot of sophomores had not been on campus for a while, saying it was mostly upperclassmen who took issue with the ban of booing. Another member of administration also recalled back to when class chants first started and noted that booing was not originally accepted, as to counter the point of it being a tradition at Ironwood. Most staff seem to agree that the booing is hostile and makes Ironwood feel as if it is not welcoming or a good place to be and that this mitigation and removal will continue forward in future assemblies.
Students and staff disagree on the issue of booing the freshmen at assemblies, almost in complete opposition. In time, this issue may be resolved or looked over but for now, this was the scoop on what is happening right now at Ironwood.
Image Credit: Cornell University
Comments