The most memorable day of spirit week, regardless of the year, is Class Color Day. Class Color Day separates the grades by colors: freshman in orange, sophomores in red, juniors in green and seniors in black. The grades participate in games and challenges going head to head with one another. This favorable day always falls on a Thursday and undoubtedly brings out the most energy throughout the week.
With energy, however, comes competition, so this day is not perfect and has some controversy surrounding it.
Tagging has been an annual tradition for over a decade, but many have questioned if its positives outweigh the negatives.
The idea behind tagging is that students go around with markers, paint or other similar tools in order to “mark” underclassmen and to establish their seniority.
Oftentimes, the practice goes out of hand, with many t-shirts completely torn and covered in stains by the time the games assembly rolls around.
Of course, the tradition breaks plenty of rules that would apply on any other day. Teachers and staff have repeatedly tried to confiscate marking tools due to reckless student behavior. Class Color Day is a day where students are more divided than ever, it is the chaos before the unity that comes the Friday after.
There are both good and bad aspects to this long standing tradition. Most notably, Class Color Day pins grade levels against each other, forcing unnecessary competition when Homecoming week should be about showing off Lemont High School’s school-wide pride.
Additionally, tagging leaves lasting impacts on student wardrobes. If you had the misfortune of wearing an outfit you liked that day, chances are it’ll be ruined. Even backpacks fall victim to unwashable stains.
However, there’s something inherently positive about the day as a whole. Although it doesn’t strengthen school-wide unity, it’s a great opportunity to rep class pride. Many students go all out, accessorizing with their respective color.
A majority of students also enjoy signing their shirts, even among people in their own grade. The purchasable class shirts are not only easy to acquire, but make a great keepsake to look back on Homecoming week in the future.
Tagging provides a mixed bag of experiences for students. Although it’s a lot to handle, especially for an underclassman, the memories it can capture only leave more anticipation as you move up grades, making it something worth holding on to.
