Every year there is a time when more and more kids with hair shaved in creative new styles start to fill up the halls of our school. That time is “Senior Week,” when seniors get to show off their authority and leave a lasting impression on the younger classes. These pranks are usually light hearted and not truly mean spirited, but there is clearly a line that the seniors are dancing on, and in some cases stomping on.

What is appropriate and what is not is often in the eye of the beholder. To someone on the outside, getting their head shaved may seem more vicious than to the actual victims. Of course, some victims find the situation not only horrible, but also humiliating. However, this is surprisingly not always the case. In fact, some sophomores want to be pranked by seniors.

It is common to see a kid standing with friends near a group of seniors pleading loudly, “Gee! I sure hope the seniors don’t get me next.” Getting your head shaved seems to even become a status symbol, because the victims are usually the athletes or kids who have many senior friends.

Having said that, we still feel that sometimes these pranks definitely cross the line of what is appropriate. Hair can grow back, but property damage is forever. Car painting “I love seniors” on a random car is funny, but destroying the interior of that car is not, and saying this crosses the line is an understatement.

Seniors have been a part of our school for three long years, spending hundreds of hours in class. We believe seniors have paid their dues and deserve a week to vent their aggression and leave a mark on the younger classes in return. As long as things remain somewhat under control in years to come, we believe Senior Week should remain a celebrated unofficial Free State tradition.