The Student News Site of the Latin School of Chicago

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The Student News Site of the Latin School of Chicago

The Forum

The Student News Site of the Latin School of Chicago

The Forum

Sitting On The Floor: Another Perk of Being a Senior

Staff Writer   Since that first day of school back in August, it’s safe to say this year has been a never-ending battle for the Class of 2013. From Senior treats going missing under suspicious circumstances to a retreat that wasn’t so exclusive to Senior year, the Class of 2013 has had some experiences that have left them disgruntled. Yes, we’ve been passed over more than once for a couple of things and, sure, maybe we haven’t experienced all the usual perks of being the oldest in the Upper School, but what really pushed the Seniors over the edge is one word: couches. Senior couches are a long-standing tradition at Latin. They reside in the Senior lounge (a once sacred space) and represent more than just comfort and a place to nap during lunch. The Senior couches were much more than just couches: they were a symbol of unity for the grade, a link to Seniors past and represented, well, seniority. The Senior couches had been at Latin before I’d entered the school as a freshman and they were always something to look forward to for my final year. That is, until they were removed from the lounge without notice or even asking the Class of 2013 if they minded. To answer you now: we mind. A lot. As a grade that rarely feels respected or really noticed, this upsetting incident became the last straw. Teachers and faculty explained that the couches were too “unsanitary” for us to have in the lounge. Yes, those couches were dirtier than most McDonald’s bathrooms, but they weren’t any cleaner last year or the year before. So the question is: why now? Why us? Do we not deserve to choose whether we want the traditional filth that comes with 12th grade? The answer we received was no, and with even more rejection. After the classic 2013 strategy of complaining loudly and being openly dissatisfied, we received news that new couches were possible. A resolution? Hardly. We could get new couches, but only if we paid for them ourselves. That proposition sounded familiar because it was what we did last year, and I can assure you the “junior lounge” was no locker bay. We did what we could do and we brought our old, dusty, misshapen bean-bags from last year into a space that used to house real furniture. Now, in the second semester of our Senior year, the Class of 2013 still essentially sits on the ground in a very, very cold corner of the building. Though the school probably won’t give us new couches and, if they do, they’ll probably arrive on the last day of school or something, we want our voices to be heard regardless. More than anything, our grade just wants to be Seniors. Not just in grade-level, but in the way we’re treated. If you think we deserve this much, then maybe you’ll understand why the couches are more than just furniture to us and, just maybe, we can really feel like Seniors in our final semester.]]>

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    abalmuthJan 22, 2013 at 9:51 pm

    I actually didn’t realize I was sitting on the floor until just now. This article makes me sad.

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Sitting On The Floor: Another Perk of Being a Senior