With changing times and developing culture, long lasting traditions and norms are forced to be modified alongside them. BHS is experiencing this firsthand with the adjustments and end of many traditions like senior superlatives and homecoming themes. BHS has made these disputed changes to ensure appropriateness and functionality.

“I know there are many loved traditions that get changed over the years, but they all have reasoning for the change,” Student Council Vice President Zoey Croft said. “I know a lot of people have bashed the ending of traditions, but most people don’t see the rationality behind it. For instance, with Student Council changing class themes to ‘Color Wars,’ there were many complaints, but the change is overall more beneficial for our school and leaves no room for inappropriate themes or interpretation of them.”

One of the longest traditions coming to an end this school year is homecoming class themes. Student Council switched class themes with the new spirit day called “Color Wars.” Color Wars is where each class chooses a color that is then “their class color.” They decorate their hallway and float in their color and also wear that color on the chosen “Color War” spirit day.

“We changed to Color Wars because it offers the opportunity for more students to participate by finding something they already have in their closet,” Student Council adviser Carrie Paulo said. “We saw how other schools had more participation because students were more comfortable dressing in a particular color and their usual style instead of a wild costume that might take them out of their comfort zone.”

The yearbook staff is also changing traditions. The Bear Tracks has decided to take out a few of their senior superlatives that were taken wrong and inappropriately. The yearbook staff will be cutting down their superlatives section from two pages to one, and with this cut they will make room for other senior based single pages, like the senior baby pictures page.

“We chose to eliminate certain ones because they could’ve been found offensive,” Bear Tracks Editor-in-Chief Whitney King said. “[Senior superlatives] are already slowly becoming less popular, and by cutting them down we will have more room for pages that allow everyone to have a chance to be in the yearbook an extra time.”

Though these traditions are all student body favorites they have the potential to be inappropriate or politically incorrect. Themes that single out races or cultures, go against school rules, or can be interpreted in a negative way have all been done at BHS. Also senior superlatives that seem improper or encourage and emphasize have been put into the Bear Tracks. By the ending and changing of these specific traditions and other traditions at BHS, it prevents reoccurring questions of insensitivity.

“The ending of class themes is upsetting since it’s been such a long tradition and makes student life here so much fun, but I’m sure Color Wars will live up to it,” junior Jamie McPhaul said. “But I do find it sad that the Senior Superlatives page is being cut down, because to me it seems like a really cool and fun way to incorporate different people in the yearbook with the different variety of superlatives. But I know every decision made around these traditions have logical and sensible reasoning behind them.”