Isabel Lawrence & Emily Brand
Reporters
To break the social barriers in the lounge, the Student Advocates hosted NCHS’ first Freaky Friday during an extended lunch block on Friday the 13th. The Student Coalition, Student Advocates and Emerging Leaders banded together to unify the grades with seating, music and ice cream in what could become a tradition.
Despite the open seating arrangement in the lounge, students opt to sit in unspoken, designated sections by grade. Students Advocates saw this social division and decided to make a change.
“We were talking to friends at other schools around the county and it’s not like this,” sophomore member Jenna Hickey said. With the social irregularity in mind, Student Advocates decided to make a change.
Senior Sam Hines commented on the lack of intermingling between grades. “As an underclassmen, at least when I was in ninth and tenth, you would never consider venturing over to the senior or junior sections,” he said. “I think students are opposed to mixing it up in terms of seating because they feel if they step outside the established social normalities of the lunchroom, people will judge them.”
To reach the biggest audience, the Student Advocates reached out to different student groups in the school to make the event happen. “After a few meetings, when we had a good idea of what we were planning to do in terms of specifics as well as the overall message to get across,” junior member Ember Parker said. “We then had a meeting with the Emerging Leaders encouraging them to get involved and had members who are in Student Advocates and Student Coalition reach out to the other groups.”
Sophomore member Abbie Jameson said Student Advocates decided to encourage student interaction. “We decided upon the ice cream and starburst game because we knew we had to include something that would inspire a lot of people to participate,” she said. “We changed up the table organization because we thought it would encourage everyone to branch out from their comfort zone in the lounge. And the music really just added a fun vibe to the whole experience.”
Though students seemed skeptical about giving up their normal seats, Freaky Friday turned out to be a success. “I doubted our school’s ability to break the mold of the typical seating arrangements that have been around for so long,” freshman Carly Risom said. “I was actually really impressed with the way the lounge looked. The seating really facilitated the mix-up of grades and definitely broke the boundaries of each section.”
“I think Freaky Friday was very effective,” Jenna said. “There were seniors and sophomores in the freshman section, sophomores in the senior section, and freshmen in the junior and senior sections. It was great to see everyone get so into it. It’s amazing how a simple idea from a small group of people was so successful in its turn out.”
Many Student Advocates hope that their idea will leave a lasting impact on NCHS. “If [Freaky Friday] becomes a tradition, I think we will all be so happy we could leave that legacy,” Ember said.
Sam Hines also saw the benefits of Freaky Friday going forward. “I think NCHS should continue events like Freaky Friday,” he said. “At college, there is no ‘official seating’ and you need to get used to sitting with people older and younger than you. Freaky Friday definitely helps out in that regard.”
Liza agreed, “I hope NCHS continues to do these kinds of things because mixing it up shouldn’t just be a one day event, it should become the social norm.”
