By: Victoria Sage
Throughout the years, the school board has provided Lexington seniors with an overnight class trip. This well deserved tradition ended in 1995, unfortunately. But does that mean that this, the class of 2000, does any less deserve this tradition than the classes before us? Haven't we worked hard to earn money all these years? It would be a complete injustice to deny us a class trip, a total unfairness. Even more inconceivable is the school policy of giving money that one class has earned to another class, at the same time denying the class a chance to spend the money on something worthwhile. Imagine that a school board member had saved a portion of his salary to take a vacation only to learn that his vacation would not be permitted, and that his savings would go to someone else instead. In the real life scenario it is a student being treated unfairly, not a board member, but does that make the injustice excusable?
The class trip is an element of a student's overall high school experience that is sorely missing today. "Parting is such sweet sorrow." That famous line holds true today just as it did in Shakespeare's time. What better way is there, to alleviate some of that parting sorrow, than to say goodbye with a class trip? Over these three years, and for many of us, possibly twelve years, we've become quite close. We know each other fairly well, almost to the point where we are very similar to a family. We have had our share of excitements, celebrations, quarrels, and defeats, but in the end, we still stick together as one big family. An overnight class trip would give us one final lasting memory, one concrete experience, to remember and cherish forever.
Since the summer of our freshman year, the class of 2000 has raised thousands of dollars with our Taste of Country Fair chicken booth. So far our class hasn't been allowed to enjoy any of it. Indeed, some of the money will go to pay for the senior's prom, but what about our class? The class of 2000, and our parents and sponsors, have expended boundless energy so that we might have adequate funds. It would be only a minor concession, more of a way to say congratulations really, for the school board to permit us to spend our money on our class. That is very little to ask, considering the many ways our class has been cheated out of high school memories.
As grade school students, at the weekly fall pep rallies we always watched with excitement and fear, the "big kids," the high school students, knowing that one day we would be just like them. As part of high school rituals, the seniors would be permitted to initiate the freshmen, which was always a fun time, because no matter how awful the freshmen were treated, they knew they could retaliate when they were seniors. Another longstanding rite of passage that has now been abolished was the street painting. It is almost now impossible to make out any names in the street, leaving past students all but forgotten. Another great time for students and faculty was the annual gag gift exchange at Christmastime. Students would purchase gifts that poked a little fun at teachers, and then the teachers would open them in front of the student body at the Christmas party. These wonderful memories would be totally unremembered if not for hearing stories of such events from older brothers and sisters and grainy memories of watching them happen when we were too young to appreciate or understand their importance. If this trend continues there will be almost nothing left for the classes below us. How much longer before sacred activities like the bonfire or homecoming parade is stolen away as well? Let us end this cycle and reinstate a few old traditions, starting with the overnight senior trip.
In conclusion, the school board holds the fate of a possible senior trip reinstatement in its hands. It is up the board to act justly. It is up to the board to give us what we deserve, an overnight class trip.
