Ever since freshman year, I’ve looked forward to the announcement of the Senior Superlatives, curious to see who would fit into each category. However, when the questions were posted in mid-October on Facebook, I was disappointed to see that they centered so heavily around the superficial aspect of teens’ lives, specifically the car and party culture at Redwood.
There are now nine superlatives related to driving, referred to as “Parking Lot Superlatives.” Awards such as “Most Likely to Get a Speeding Ticket,” “Drives Like a Grandma,” and “Most Likely to Run Someone Over,” are now among the list of 49 superlatives. In past years, there was only one driving-related question.
The yearbook staff even said the Parking Lot Superlatives will get their own page in the yearbook, which further promotes the car scene at Redwood. People use their cars as lockers, hang out by them during break, and use them to drive out to lunch.
All of these aspects bring freedom to seniors, but others who aren’t as fortunate to own a car may feel left out. Many seniors don’t even have a car, so emphasizing such an elitist culture in our yearbook just makes those individuals feel disconnected from their classmates.
Additionally, in my freshman yearbook, the senior superlatives didn’t consist of any party-related culture awards, and my sophomore yearbook only had the superlative “Life of the Party.” Last year’s superlative changed to “Greek Life,” and this year’s list features both questions.
The superlatives should go back to giving relevant and quirky awards such as “Born in the Wrong Decade,” “Most Creative,” and “The Next New York Times Best Seller,” all of which are gone from this year’s list. Also, the superlatives just aren’t the same without the classic “Most Likely to Succeed” award, another title absent from this year’s list.
These superlatives speak volumes about our class culture. I’m not saying that our grade parties more than usual, but the choice of this year’s superlatives highlight the extent to which some members of our class seem to focus more on the next party or the new hip car, rather than on our academics and futures.
Awards that showcase real talents and personality traits are the awards that I will want to read when I’m older – not a superlative about who was most likely to run someone over or whose car was most likely to break down. These awards aren’t centered around people, more they are centered around their possessions.
It is interesting to make a prediction about who will become a bestselling author or a politician, and then look back years later to see if the prediction came true.
Take a moment to picture our class’s 25th anniversary reunion. Many of us will have our own families by then––I would be embarrassed if my children overheard that I was “the life of the party” or “the most likely to run somebody over.”
Let’s change the superlatives so that they present the talent and positive qualities that our grade possesses. The class of 2015 is full of very smart and talented people, and we should not highlight the driving and partying culture of our grade. Instead, we should shine light on our good qualities, such as curiosity, kindness, musical talent, athleticism, and intellect.
