These are the Unsaid Rules of Paschal. For the freshmen and sophomores, the start to high school has been a soft-opening without a lot of the usual hubbub taking place. The sophomores had their freshman year cut in half and ended up missing the clamor that comes along with prom and graduation (even though they aren’t involved). The 10th graders also did not have their first canwick that usually takes place in September. 

The freshmen have come into this year maybe thinking that it has been hard and that high school is rough. However, they have barely received a fraction of the rigor that truly comes with the start of high school. In addition to having a soft-opening, the freshmen didn’t get their first ever homecoming or Howdy.

The fall started with an attempt to go back to normal but it just wasn’t the same. At football games the Student Section was next to nonexistent–if it did exist, it was spread out and lacked all of the usual camaraderie. There wasn’t Howdy (or even a Howdy week). There wasn’t a homecoming dance. There will be no canwick this year. We just found out we are having a prom, but that wasn’t a guarantee until recently.

This isn’t a complaint, though. Everyone at Paschal understands that things had to be different in order to protect everyone and maintain a safe environment. The point I am trying to make in this long winded introduction is: The underclassmen may not have picked up on the finer points of the Do’s and Don’ts of Paschal. And so as things begin to return to normal and as prom comes ever nearer, I thought we could all use a refresher.

#1: Only seniors can wear long dresses to prom

At our lovely Paschal High School, prom is a Senior Only event (unlike at other schools where there is sometimes a junior/senior prom, or even an all-inclusive prom). This means that underclassmen can only attend if they are a date of a senior. As prom is coming up in June, I feel inclined to remind any underclassmen planning on attending that only seniors are supposed to wear long dresses to prom. For juniors and sophomores (or, God forbid, freshmen) who attend prom, the appropriate thing to wear would be a short, homecoming-esque dress.

#2: If you take/ask a guy to canwick, he’s supposed to take you to homecoming

While canwick is not a Paschal-sanctioned event, many Paschal girls are a part of the cult-like club. There is one event sophomore year–the cowboy-themed party in September–that takes place conveniently right before homecoming. For juniors and seniors, there are two events–a ever-changing themed party in the fall and a Gatsby-themed casino night in February. The general idea among the invitees is to ask boys to go as their dates early on. A lot of times girls will ask guys many months ahead of time. This is because if a guy is asked to go to canwick, he is supposed to take the girl who asked him to homecoming–thus the early asking for canwick ensures a date for homecoming.

#3: Seniors get front row in the Student Section

While the Student Section at games this year was as good as dead, in past years (and hopefully in upcoming years) the Student Section is a lively place full of camaraderie and Paschal spirit (despite the football team’s losing streak). The Student Section takes up the first few rows at any given game and closer to the field you are, the more fun it is. Of course this “most fun” spot is the designated spot for seniors going for their Last Hurrah and trying to soak up as much high school spirit as possible before the season ends because, y’know, PFL. The front row is designated to seniors and then juniors get the next closest area and then sophomores and then, finally, the freshmen get the outer ring. Or at least they’re supposed to, sometimes the fish can get a little overzealous. 

#4: Seniors sit in the back of the bus

This rule is pretty standard. Freshmen sit in the front, seniors sit in the back. Pretty non-negotiable. Pretty self-explanatory.

By no means are these “rules” actual rules. You should follow the “rules” unless you want the people in the grade(s) above you to be angry and rude. To get these “rules,” I asked several people from a range of grades and we came to an agreement about the ones to present. In addition to supplying me with some Unsaid Rules, they also gave me bits of advice for current underclassmen.

• Avoid the bottom of the stairs by the entrance to the art hall during passing period
• Use Quizlet for any history class
• Don’t wear shoes you really like to Howdy because they will get stepped on
• The best bathrooms are in the business hall, the new building, the new wing, the GUS
• Get a hotspot or VPN, the wifi is bad in the art hall, chemistry wing, math hall (basically everywhere)
• The dances themselves are overrated, just dress up and go out to eat instead
• Go to as many sporting events as possible, the more people that go, the more fun it is
• Don’t be an entitled freshman (don’t disrespect your upperclassmen, don’t act like you know everything)
• Don’t ask for the keys to your sister’s car so you can eat lunch in it with your friends (EME)
• AP Human Geography is NOT the hardest class you are going to take
• Don’t say you’re good at Chemistry until you’ve taken AP Chem and passed the AP test
• Prioritize your sports–if the seasons overlap, choose one ie. soccer and basketball, basketball and baseball (track does NOT apply)
• Do Art 1 ASAP, don’t wait until you’re a senior
• Test out of health and speech, if possible
• Join more clubs–you’ll meet so many people
• Don’t hang around people who smoke weed before football games (…not that anyone does this because it is illegal…)
• Don’t stop walking in the middle of the hall
• Always help people out (answers, tutoring, etc.)

In other words, there are a lot of things that you should or shouldn’t do. Some of them are just common sense but others need to be said. Be helpful, be humble, use common sense. If you do those things then you’ll do just fine but some things are not better left unsaid