This is Spitfire, a new style of head-to-head debates between The Accolade’s two Opinion editors. Kayden is purple. Aashna is orange. Here are the rules:
- No profanity.
- An editor attacked by the other will be given three sentences to respond.
- The readers will decide who wins through a poll at the end of the article.
- Once a rule is broken, the debate ends.
Once a year, millions of masked figures flood the streets of their respective communities nationwide. On that one day, anonymity is the norm, and people relentlessly demand treats from strangers, banging on doors with some even throwing eggs at houses. But this isn’t a cult; it’s Halloween — and high schoolers love it.
What the hall-oween are you saying? Once a year, thousands of people, including high school students, line up in front of houses like ants, waiting to take candy back to their queen: their toothy, salivating orifices. As a junior, I really don’t understand why you would celebrate a holiday just for a quick photo session and a bag full of candy that nobody ever finishes.
Maybe to you, Halloween is nothing more than just another day, but to many people — including myself — it’s more than just a photo shoot and a bunch of sweets. It’s a celebration of youth. With one more year of high school experience on my belt than you, I find Oct. 31 to be a day for high schoolers to take a breath of fresh air in a sea of homework and college preparation.
Honestly, this game of dress-up should’ve stopped after elementary school. High schoolers need to stop bobbing for apples and start bobbing for reality — especially those on the cusp of adulthood. Don’t get me wrong, I understand where you’re coming from and the idea of enjoying that last year of youth, but a costume will not get the job done because you have to face reality head-on instead of hiding under a childish facade.
The costume is just a small part of why we celebrate Halloween. Humans crave social interactions, and it might be just what high school students need — taking a day off with friends from the few months during which their best friends are their notebook, pencil and eraser. High schoolers are arguably the busiest they’ve been in their lives, and Halloween can be a fun way to make memories, with the small advantage of getting to dress up for the occasion.
High school students have plenty of time to socialize if they look for it. Kayden, you say that academics take up all of the students’ time when they can easily form a study group with their friends and use that as an opportunity to hang out. The bottom line is that Halloween isn’t the only way to catch up with friends when going out to lunch or hanging out after school is just as effective.
I guess it depends on the person, but I still think that Halloween is a good excuse for students to finally take a break from a monotonous school schedule.
Because of the violation of rule No. 2, Spitfire ends by default. Who do you agree with?
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