With high school traditions changing, so do the opinions of those involved and as years go by, the school rules change. Activities like senior pranks and dress up days become more regulated, and this sometimes results in the traditions becoming less popular among students. Customs like the jungle and pep rallies seem to be most adequate among the student body, whereas senior pranks and the winter formal “girls ask guys” traditions now come off as uninteresting. 

The more availability of creativity involved in an activity, students are more able to freely express themselves due to it being less regulated and monitored by school rules. The jungle is a section of the football stadium where high school students can all sit together to cheer on the football team. It is arguably the most high energy school event which is the reason why some students say it is their favorite tradition. 

Although a pep rally is significantly more organized than the jungle, it is enjoyed by most who attend because it is based on school spirit and has fun themes. Even if others dislike the event itself, pep rally schedules make the classes shorter, so it is a win-win for the majority of students. 

While rules for pep rallies and the jungle have stayed more lenient, other traditions, such as senior pranks, have had to change over the years to fit the everchanging school standards. The rules for senior pranks have only gotten more strict, so it has become harder for the seniors to pull a “real prank.” This resulted in lower participation and publicity. Majority of the students mentioned that they did not like the senior pranks, and think that the tradition should be trashed due to the lack of creativity. 

As the years go by, traditions must adapt with the student body’s preferences and new school policies. While some will go on much longer, others will need to be updated or replaced as technology and trends change.

Recycle:

• “Pep rallies can get lit with the percussion.” -Autumn Gandy
• “The jungle is definitely my favorite!” -Britney Trimble
• “Hall decorating is super fun as a StuCo member (plus dress up days of course).” -Jojo Owens
• “Spring Spectacular has to be my favorite!” -Miriam Alexis

Trash:

• “Senior prank- they’ve made it so regulated it’s just dumb now.” -Ayden Hobbs
• “Girls asking guys to a school dance… It does make me nervous, because as a girl we always expect what the movies say, but when we realize that for some school dances we might have to ask the guy, it’s different and not what we expect.” -Polina Zhilchenkova
• “No hoco dance.” -Audrey McAlpine