Do senior superlatives make people feel excluded?
April 19, 2018
By HANNAH GIBBONS
The Mirror reporter
Twenty years from now, high school will be one big blur. While many people like that thought, there’s still the burden of the infamous yearbook. The one piece from school filled with memories, photos and superlatives that can’t be forgotten. But how accurate are the superlatives really? Do the people own up to their titles, or is it just a popularity game?
Every year at SPASH, seniors are presented with a list of superlatives that the class is able to vote for. Some titles include, “Best Dressed” or “Most likely to become the president.” Students are able to vote for one girl and one guy they feel best fit the title.
A seemingly harmless activity may strike up drama between friends and classmates. Some students believe that only the “popular” people will win because everyone knows them. If that’s the case, where do the underdogs come in? How’re they supposed to shine senior year?
Breanna Weiler, a senior said, “I don’t understand why we have superlatives. I mean, yea I guess it’s cool to look back on it later in life and compare what people thought they were going to do with their life and what they’re actually doing now. However, right now it’s not that great. I believe that everyone should have the same chance of winning a superlative, but it’s hard when we’re such a big school and not everyone knows who you are. Of course, it’s all about popularity because that’s who people know.”
Superlatives help to push students into the dark holes of stereotypes that somehow seem to define our high school legacies. For example, students who were nominated for Most Likely to succeed were mostly students who took an obscene number of A.P classes and stretched themselves too thin, in every meaning of the word. But maybe these “over-achievers” would like to be remembered for something more than being academically, well, perfect? And what parent would want to hear their son/daughter just won Most Likely to be Wanted by the Authorities? Make that none.
Paige Feltz, a senior and a member of yearbook said, “I think the reason why we do superlatives is because it’s tradition. I’ve never heard of a high school who hasn’t done it, even my parents had it in their yearbooks way back when. I think the thought itself is fun and nice, but when you see the same student’s name over and over again for different categories it just gets boring.”
Rod Lawrence, a senior said, “Superlatives only reinforce, and in some circumstances, create, high school stereotypes (the band geeks, teachers’ pets, wanna-bes, jocks, stoners, and hotties) that many of us are trying desperately to escape by the time we graduate.”
Despite all the negative comments towards superlatives, the majority of the class enjoys this page of the yearbook.
Kaitlyn Herman, a senior and female winner of “Looks most like a famous person” said, “At first I was against the idea. I was voted for looking like a famous actor from a depressing show where the main character kills herself.” Herman is compared to the actress Katherine Langford, or widely known as Hannah Baker from the Netflix series “13 Reasons Why.”
“However, once I thought it through, I laughed to myself. I know 30 years from now nobody will remember me or what I was voted for, so it doesn’t matter to me. Honestly, it also makes me feel a bit excited that my classmates chose me to win such an interesting superlative,” Herman said.
Overall, I do agree that a handful of classmates do feel left out because they didn’t win something. High school students either want to be the talk of the class or completely invisible. I also think that superlatives are a popular group vote. The same names pop up over and over again for different categories, it’s hard to just dismiss that for a coincidence. In my opinion, I think they should get rid of the page and substitute it for all the awards students have won their senior year or what scholarships students have earned. But again, it’s hard to break tradition.
Kacey Koch • Apr 23, 2018 at 12:33 PM
I think it’s great to keep the tradition of superlatives but the voting process could probably be changed and thought out better. This article was awesome with lots of different opinions!
Will • Apr 23, 2018 at 12:30 PM
I agree that superlatives are part of a harmful social trend of stereotypes, but I also feel like they push the cult of personality and popularity so common in high schools. It’s a waste of time in the classic Americana tradition that just won’t die.
Kara • Apr 23, 2018 at 12:29 PM
Great job Hannah! You really went into depth on this topic and I loved reading all of the different opinions. I would have to say I understand why we have them because it is tradition but I wish there was a way to make it so just the ‘well-known’ people don’t get every single one.
Dylan Konicek • Apr 23, 2018 at 12:27 PM
It was a great article, the quotes were great but I would have liked to see your opinion more. Otherwise it was a very enjoyable read
Manuel Lupercio • Apr 23, 2018 at 12:20 PM
I never really thought about superlatives other than something every school does. I have always found them pointless but to some people they like having a superlative to their name.
Alina Burmistrova • Apr 23, 2018 at 11:42 AM
it is very interesting to read the author’s thoughts on the proposed topic which is really serious.
Merita Mehmedi • Apr 20, 2018 at 12:51 PM
I agree that it can be hard to break away from a tradition that has been going on for so long. While I think that the idea of senior superlatives can be interesting and fun, I agree that there should be a way to make it inclusive for all students, especially for a larger school. Everyone wants to look back at their yearbook and see positive memories, not just a certain group.
Dylan Trigg • Apr 20, 2018 at 12:40 PM
I would never have thought about them in a bad way but I could understand why people would be left out. very interesting.
Tony Ludwig • Apr 20, 2018 at 12:36 PM
I think this article explained what many have been thinking. Only a small handful of people get into the superlatives, and all too often many people are left out.
Hannah Siegel • Apr 20, 2018 at 12:19 PM
I liked this article it was really well written and had great supporting quotes. I loved the topic because I think it’s a big part of the yearbook. It was interesting to hear the wide range of opinions.
Alyssa Schroeckenthaler • Apr 20, 2018 at 12:18 PM
This was such an interesting read. I never thought of superlatives that why. I never really paid attention to them at all that much, to be honest. I really like how you got a perspective from multiple people. It really gave the full picture and an accurate representation of different opinions. I enjoyed reading this! I think I agree with Kaitlyn the most. No one is going to remember or care who was voted what 20 years from high school.