The sophomore, junior and senior class throw taunts and jeer at the freshmen who walk in to every rally. It’s a school tradition, but this year things are different.

At the first rally, the jeers were silenced and the upperclassmen disarmed: The administration walked through the gym telling those doing the taunting to stop. Annoyed, the upperclassmen slowly stopped jeering. Although the administration’s action seemed a little paranoid and over protective, it turned out to be the right choice.

No longer are the classes allowed to shout the traditional phrase, “Go home, freshmen.” The administration is trying to cut down on taunting that can be can be interpreted at actual bullying.

The administration also put an end to jokes that malevolently targeted individuals in this year’s Homecoming performances.

Prior to Homecoming festivities, it seemed a shame that both the rally chant and these “innocuous” jokes were disallowed. It seemed extreme to take away what felt like essential parts of school spirit events, a chance to crack harmless jokes.

But after the sophomore quad day, which singled out many individuals without consent, it seems clearer than ever that the administration made the right decision.

Even as member of the sophomore class, I have to admit some of the jokes were sketchy,” Drew Kriens said.

School spirit days should be a friendly way to poke fun at other grades, but instead they have somtimes become times where students discreetly ridicule others like the sophomores did.

“It sucks because it feels like a little bit of Homecoming is being taken away by that. The jokes have always been part of tradition,” senior Brady Horn said. But taking away these jokes have made students jog their brains for more tasteful and unifying ways of creating smiles and laughter.

Tradition or not, the administration has taken some of the questionable humor away, forcing students to do Homecoming performances in a whole different, but better and more unifying way.