A plea to fellow seniors: maturity

It comes as no surprise that, as a teenager in the 21st century, I have a Facebook page.  And, as a senior, I am also part of the “Castro Valley High Class of 2012″ Facebook group.  This group was ostensibly created to do nothing more than inform seniors of upcoming school and class activities.  It has, however, quickly become a breeding ground for comments and posts that exude hate, prejudice, and most recognizably, immaturity.  In my opinion, there’s a certain responsibility that comes with being the oldest students in the school.  And sometimes, some people in the Class of 2012 seem to come up short.

The most recent scandal that has caused a frenzy of heated Facebook posts is the changes for this year’s yearbook.  When the yearbook staff announced the categories for this year’s Senior Superlatives (Senior Best), it became apparent that some had been changed from last year.  For instance, “Best Eyes” and “Best Hair” were no longer going to be considered categories, as they depend only on the person’s physical appearance.Understandably, those students in the class that had considered themselves potential candidates for the old categories were upset by such a decision.  While some respectfully shared their viewpoints on the matter, the vast majority of comments included curse words and unfounded insults of the yearbook class.

Yes, it is true that the decisions about the Senior Superlatives were made without the approval of the entire class.  That does not mean that the mature way to fix the situation is by clogging up a social media site with hateful remarks.

As seniors, I would have thought we had passed the stage of complete and utter buffoonery.  The yearbook class has been working vigorously all year to create an excellent product and the least we can do is treat them with common courtesy by voicing our requests with respect.  And, while we are at it, why not try speaking eloquently?  That never hurt anybody.

In the end, many of the old Senior Superlative categories were brought back and the complete list was made to include: Most Unique, Most Outgoing, Most Likely to Brighten Your Day, Most Likely to be Best Friends in 50 Years, Most Changed Since Freshman Year, Most Athletic, Best Dancers, Most Artistic, Most Likely to Make You Laugh (Class Clown), Most Inspiring, Best Dressed, Best Hair, Most Talented, Most Spirited, Biggest Heart, Biggest Brain (Academics), and Most Likely to Succeed.

One might argue that, thus, the heated Facebook debates made the change that was originally intended.  Next time, however, we should try acting as maturely as possible in the process.

We get no closer to adulthood by acting like children.  Our actions directly affect the image of ourselves that is conveyed to others.  So, Class of 2012: It is our choice to be seen as disrespectful adolescents or a group of mature young adults, ready to face the real world after years of training.  Let’s choose the latter.