GREENFIELD, Wisconsin, U.S.A. – Ah, Freshman Kill Day. At my school, it’s the day near the beginning of the school year when all the older students “attack” freshman students with vicious pranks.
I’m not sure about the other freshmen, but I was picturing blaze orange-clad seniors and juniors chasing us into corners like the vermin they had convinced us we were.
Dumping us into trash cans, rolling us down the halls. They were the hunters, and we were the hunted. Think Elmer Fudd.
They made sure we knew about their wicked plans. In marching band, the older kids counted down the days. Kids with older siblings were taunted with horror stories of getting sat on the water fountain.
But my nightmarish predictions were totally and utterly fake.
The real “Freshman Kill Day?” During our Homecoming Spirit Week, we had a Color War Day.
The upperclassmen randomly mark us with their class colors using a colored marker or a little bit of finger paint. I kid you not.
Their weapon of choice was a simple coloring tool used by preschoolers across the world.
But even this was banned by teachers, and by midmorning, “attacks” were rare. Here I was, expecting worse than anything the television had been permitted to burn into my psyche since I was old enough to understand “Saved By The Bell.”
What I got was flicked with a marker that washed off in about two seconds.
So if you’re freaking out about Freshman Kill Day or a similar dreaded event at your school, don’t.
Upperclassmen are rarely serious about attacks on “Fresh Meat,” and if they do, they’re quickly shot down by the real hunters on campus – the teachers. So relax, and take your time getting used to your new school, because high school really does go past in the blink of an eye, and if you spend your time worrying, you could miss it.
Oh, and if you attend my high school, a word of caution: you better believe I’ll be packing a blue marker on Color War Day.
Emily Mongan is a Junior Reporter for Youth Journalism International.
