Dear Redwood Staff,

At this year’s homecoming rally, P.E. teacher and host Mike Dibley made a point to remind us that Redwood is “one big family.” Your regulating of students at this rally suggests that your perfect family is both quiet and obedient. The reality is that Redwood is a big, rowdy, fun-loving family and, like all big families, includes friendly competition.

Redwood, like a family, has always had friendly rivalry between classes. More apparent in upperclassmen, the rivalry pushes classes to show off their spirit whether it’s seniors jokingly dismissing the juniors’ skit, or the juniors teasingly waving their class flag on senior turf. Competitive spirit plays a large role for students throughout the year, especially during rallies. However, at this rally the staff made an effort to reprimand such rivalries.

Class competition is a fundamental part of Redwood spirit. If we aren’t supposed to be rivals, then why do we compete in stair decorating contests or flag contests? Most important, why do we all sit on different sides of the gym? With this in mind, staff, let the students speak. Let them show their spirit through timeless traditions. Friendly rivalry between classes is, for the most part, a harmless part of Redwood culture.

Though many long-lived traditions, such as storming the court, have gotten out of control due to increasingly large class sizes, there are plenty of chants and actions that do not incite chaos, and that we should have the right to practice. Of course chanting “College of Marin” at seniors and booing at freshmen is harsh, but chanting “four more years” is a harmless tradition we have kept alive, and frankly, it’s no more than a fact.

Seniors are the “older siblings” of Redwood. Throughout the year they mentor younger students as captains of sports teams, peer tutors, and as supportive classmates. But like older siblings, seniors also love a good-natured ribbing. Three times a year we leave our mixed classrooms and sports teams to separate into grade levels to chant not just for our school, but for our class in competition with the three other grades.

Let us feel comfortable about expressing our Redwood spirit the way we always have. Every class gets their turn, every class gets their response, and almost everyone in every class leaves in high spirits. This is a Redwood rally.

So staff, if you’re going to call the Redwood student body a family, at least let us act like one.

Sincerely,

Olivia Dominguez