It’s that time of year when seniors begin preparing for the yearbook. Unfortunately, choosing senior quotes won’t be a part of this. The removal of senior quotes happened at our principal, Mr. Dennis’ arrival just a few years ago in fall of 2021. Many students feel that this has gone against their best interest, as this is one of the things they have been waiting for after all these years of hard work.

Students such as Maeve Carroll have expressed a feeling of betrayal, saying, “It’s beyond imaginable because we have already had so much taken away from us during Covid and the small things cut so deep. You never know what’s important until it’s taken away.” 

After coming back from the years of an abnormal life, students were looking forward to the things that made school excitable. However this change was one of the many small things that made a huge impact on the students. 

An anonymous interviewee agrees with Maeve, saying, “I certainly think it’s disappointing because senior quotes are a tradition that we look forward to going into high school. Our parents have done it and so have our grandparents to look back and reflect. It’s also a motivation and inspiration to look back. It’s disheartening that the minority has to affect the majority.” 

While this interviewee had a lot to say about this devastating event, some, like this anonymous senior, have few but powerful words: “I strongly dislike it.” 

This does not only affect the seniors though, as this broken tradition will continue throughout the years. Juniors are already upset about this news even though it is not their time. 

Specifically, 11th grader Nathan Zarko revealed his anger towards the subject, saying that “it’s a tradition that every school has. Everyone remembers their high school quote but I won’t because I won’t have one.” Another 11th grader said that “it’s something we’ve all looked forward to for a long time and a way to remember other people in the class”. 

As we can see, there is an overwhelming negative response to the decision to remove senior quotes from the yearbook.

Apparently this all started because there was a complication with the quotes that offended one of the students in past years. Some of these points have been touched upon by the interviewees as one of them reiterated how the majority suffers because of the minority. 

Some peers have expressed their yearning to find their perfect senior quote all their life and now it’s taken away. Will this tradition continue to be broken? Or will students take a stand for what they want? It now depends on the ambition of Northport’s students.