Hedy Gutfreund Staff Writer The competitive claws of the Latin School community come out each year at Winter Carnival at the end of February, when each grade competes against each other for the ultimate victory in everything from a video banner to Peg the Cone. This year, the senior class came in first, followed by the juniors, then the freshmen, and then the sophomores. Was this who was supposed to win? If not, is it fair to let the seniors have an advantage? I am of the opinion that Winter Carnival being rigged is actually quite fair, and many fellow freshmen agree with me. Maddy Turner thinks the seniors deserve their first place spot to avoid chaos, thinking, “Even if winter carnival was rigged, life seems easier with the seniors content with their first place spot.” Fellow freshman Jenna Green agrees: “I think that being able to win senior year is a big part of the experience of being a senior.” The finality of a Winter Carnival triumph appeals to many, and it closes off the high school appearance in a positive way. Though many are fine with Winter Carnival being rigged to ensure a win for everyone, senior Adrian Chiem still has concerns, voicing his opinion: “It’s rough that Winter Carnival might be rigged. I know a large amount of us believe it to be true. My problem with rigging is that it might hinder the grade pride aspect, which is honestly my favorite part of the whole week.” Sophomore Rachel Stone, on the other hand, believes that there are deeper roots to the seniors’ advantage, saying, “It seems as though the seniors always have the advantage in these contests; with a surplus of second-semester enthusiasm, and more free time now that most know the results of college decisions, the rest of the grades are left to be somewhat apathetic.” Still, there is still the option that Winter Carnival is not rigged at all. Jeremy Porter, senior prefect, believes that the seniors came out on top this year because of “poor attendance” to the activities. He informed me that the seniors automatically won events like Text Twist, where only seniors showed up. Even so, he is worried by the idea that Winter Carnival favors the seniors. He states, “I believe that this year’s Winter Carnival was not rigged. Winter Carnival shouldn’t be rigged at all. If anyone worked hard enough to win, they should be rightfully acknowledged. We must remember that they’re just games and that we’re all Romans. And if one group wins, we all win.” But this begs the question: was Winter Carnival rigged this year? Probably not. As Jeremy stated, the seniors were intense about it this year, and no other classes worked quite as hard. There were no big victories other than the Class of 2011, so there seems to be no issue whether it was rigged this year or not. Even so, past issues are being brought to light one final time. In 2009, the Class of 2011 believes that they, as sophomores, beat the seniors. After their victory this year, do they still spite the class of 2009? Senior Sean Chang shares, “I think we were supposed to win our sophomore year. Ethically, no, it wasn’t fair, but I didn’t really care – it made Winter Carnival all the more entertaining. It incensed sophomores to rally against the seniors (in a fun way that achieved the ultimate goal of Winter Carnival), and that was that. We know we beat them.” Fellow senior Helen Lyons agrees, “Although we should have won, I think coming in second was better for us and the class of 2009. Although we would have relished in beating the seniors, the embarrassment of losing, let alone losing to underclassmen, was not worth it.” Winter Carnival aims to create a competitive but rewarding mood, and it seems that being rigged adds to this. Since these memories are so fresh in the seniors’ minds, it becomes evident that Winter Carnival is a time for the classes to come together. Winter Carnival is a fun twist that creates a winning (even if not everyone is technically a winner) week to liven up the winter.]]>