No Disrespect: Rally Roll Call Harmless Fun

A Campolindo tradition was discontinued at the most recent rally on March 2. No longer did leadership begin the rally by doing “roll call,” calling out every grade to cheer, or, as usual, “boo” the freshman.

The custom of harassing freshmen has been slowly fading away. At the Welcome Back rally, the football team decided to sit in the freshman section to promote cheers instead of boos, though few at the time complied. Finally, the administration decided to do away with roll call all together. According to junior class treasurer Hillary Weaver, it was because some people, mostly staff or teachers, perceived the boos as bullying.

I disagree.

Campolindo is a safe space. Coming in as a freshman in 2015, I was mildly intimidated to be among upperclassmen. This fear is long gone.

Underclassmen sit in the quad along with the upperclassmen, with hardly a divide between them. When I 1st arrived on campus I was welcomed and treated no differently because of my age. I did not fear being thrown into a trash can or being the victim of any other cliche.

Some argue that the classic roll call tradition is disrespectful. Considering that the 1st time the freshman hear this greeting is the 1st week of school at the “Welcome Back” rally, it could be seen as less than welcoming. Yet as it is tradition, incoming freshman each year know to expect it.

As a freshman, I knew I would be boo-ed at the 1st rally, and as I sat down with my friends I waited for it. When it occurred, I laughed. I didn’t feel like I was being singled out, and it lasted for roughly 5 seconds. The memory didn’t play through my head once that day. As the rallies went on, our whole grade began to joke about it, some even boo-ing themselves.

The cheers should not be seen as bullying, as the other grades are not singling out a particular person. Though the class as a whole is arguably “singled out,” this tradition is harmless, pokes fun at traditional “rivalries” between grades, and is no indication of any personal conflicts .

When I was a freshman, at the very last rally of the year, the tradition called for each grade to move to their section for the following school year and leadership continued with roll call. As they called out the freshman section, I felt satisfied to join in with everyone else who booed the empty freshman section.

It is a rite of passage. Every grade has gone through this before, but now the class of 2021 will not be able to feel as if they are moving through the ranks as they should.

Freshman, parents, and administration should realize this activity is not meant to be detrimental to anyone’s high school experience. This is not an act of bullying, but a light and humorous way to bring fun to rallies.