Seniors and freshmen, two sides of the same coin. One side ready to wrangle the beast named high school and the other counting down the days until they graduate. As different as yin and yang, is it possible for friendships to form between the two? And if so, what is it like to be on the underclassmen’s side?
Seniors “adopting” freshmen and taking them under their metaphorical wing has been an ongoing joke for years, and not only at H-F. It’s a universal experience, one so key to underclassmen that you almost feel like you’re missing out on something if you aren’t ‘adopted.’ With so many extracurriculars open to all grades such as band, speech and theater, this phenomenon only becomes more common.
But just how much does this affect the rest of an underclassmen’s high school career?
For example, let’s look at long-time theater tradition, Buzz. Buzz takes place on closing night of every production and often jerks the same reaction; tears. Buzz begins with every senior involved in the ongoing production, whether it be cast, crew, company manager or even associate director in the case of Winter Break. The seniors will then stand in a tight circle as the juniors, sophomores and freshmen form a larger circle around them.
One by one, seniors will break away from the circle and talk about their experiences with H-F theater. Most often expressing gratitude for the people they met, sadness for the friends they’ll leave behind and trust in the underclassmen to keep the department welcoming. And as the name would imply, younger students are to make a buzzing noise until the final senior has spoken. In which everyone in the room yells “Zap,” followed by total silence.
Buzz is an emotional tradition, one that is both dreaded and looked forward to.
“Everyone was so welcoming and helpful and had each other’s back.” Added sophomore Madison Jean, also known as MJ, a sophmore and member of the technical crew.
However Buzz isn’t at all something to disregard. It’s tradition for a reason, a milestone even. It’s meant to provoke emotions but also serve as a reminder of how far seniors have come and a way to give closure to their underclassmen. Sometimes with a few gifts involved, specifically pertaining to Calcifer Jenkins.
A senior “parent” has the ability to make or break a freshman’s high school experience. They can be the light that leads a confused 14 year old to a space in their school that they can consider home. Similar to the seniors they met when they were an underclassmen.
Which makes their heartfelt, and eventually heartbreaking, friendship worth it.
