Homecoming is a night that most highschoolers look forward to, and it came as a shock to the freshmen that they were not invited.
Last year marked the first homecoming at Montclair High School in over 50 years. All four grades were included in the festivities. It quickly became a safety hazard due to overcrowding.
“This year we wanted to be on the safer side, I didn’t want it to be too packed again… I’m very thankful and I think we’re very fortunate that nothing happened that night with the amount of students in one place … It was crazy. …Couple of times I walked through and I was like okay, this is when you got to start redirecting students.” Montclair High School Principal Mr. Jeffery Freeman .
Even with the efforts taken to make this night special for the freshmen, many were still upset.
“I think it’s unfair because the freshman got to go last year and we’re being penalized for something they did,” said Mabel Gottfried, a freshman at MHS.
Over a thousand students attended homecoming last year, and with only the gym and the cafeteria being used to hold everyone, things were bound to get crazy. Unfortunately, there is only so much room for our students, and the staff were limited with their options. The school was unable to use the little gym due to all the gymnastics equipment being set up.
“There is a certain company that’s certified to come and set up the equipment so that we can ensure that there will be no injuries or whatever for gymnastics. …So it would be too much to try to break it down to open up that space.” said Mr. Freedman
Although some freshmen were upset about their exclusion, most were understanding after considering the small space that we have available for the dance. “ … I’ve heard that there were too many people… let the upperclassmen do their thing…Hopefully this (movie night) can make up for it.” said Sam Reich, a freshman at MHS.
Despite the frustration, the PTA has done a wonderful job at making sure the freshmen also have fun activities to look forward to. The freshmen were able to vote on a movie to watch, and were provided with candy and popcorn free of charge and a space to hang out with their friends for the night.
Although many freshmen might feel upset that they do not have the same privileges their older friends do, it’s important for them to remember that everything comes with time, and all choices have an important reasoning behind them.
