What is appropriate and what is not is often in the eye of the beholder. To someone on the outside, getting their head shaved may seem more vicious than to the actual victims. Of course, some victims find the situation not only horrible, but also humiliating. However, this is surprisingly not always the case. In fact, some sophomores want to be pranked by seniors.

It is common to see a kid standing with friends near a group of seniors pleading loudly, “Gee! I sure hope the seniors don’t get me next.” Getting your head shaved seems to even become a status symbol, because the victims are usually the athletes or kids who have many senior friends.

Having said that, we still feel that sometimes these pranks definitely cross the line of what is appropriate. Hair can grow back, but property damage is forever. Car painting “I love seniors” on a random car is funny, but destroying the interior of that car is not, and saying this crosses the line is an understatement.

Seniors have been a part of our school for three long years, spending hundreds of hours in class. We believe seniors have paid their dues and deserve a week to vent their aggression and leave a mark on the younger classes in return. As long as things remain somewhat under control in years to come, we believe Senior Week should remain a celebrated unofficial Free State tradition.

On Friday, May 1, Aezra DuttonHurt, a senior and musical star, was found dead in Naismith Hall on the University of Kansas campus.

DuttonHurt’s death brings a mix of emotions to family, friends, classmates and teachers.

“It’s hard, because I think the way Aezra died has torn people,” choir teacher Hilary Morton said. “Some people feel anger, or have tremendous sorrow, frustration or confusion.”

No matter what the feelings were, one thing is for certain: in the essence of this situation, the student body truly showed compassion and love by attending the visitation on May 4 and funeral May 6 en mass.

“His mother was shocked to see so many people there,” Morton said. “It was some people who knew him well and some who just sang with him, but everyone was touched by him. She felt so good to know that. And I wish that he would have really known that.”

Morton had a special relationship with DuttonHurt because of his passion for music. As a two-year state choir member, he brought an enormous amount of talent to the program according to Morton. He was enrolled in every choir offered except for Women’s Choir.

“Music…was his cornerstone, it’s what he loved to do,” senior Scott Olcott, a long-time friend of Duttonhurt, said. “He loved singing and composing music, and that is what everyone is going to remember him for.”

His impact on choir was so great it effected the scheduling of his funeral, as to avoid conflicting with preparation for the spring choir concert the night before.

“They wanted to make sure it didn’t interfere with choir because Aezra wouldn’t miss choir if he didn’t have to,” Morton said.

It only made sense, then, to have members of the huge choir family march down to Mustard Seed Church together on the afternoon of the funeral. Members of Chamber Choir even wore their concert attire in order to honor DuttonHurt.

“This is our family, this was his family and this is what he would do,” Morton said. “He would be there for everyone else. He had a huge heart.”

Duttonhurt’s unique personality will never be forgotten according to his close friends.

“No matter what, he would always make me laugh,” Olcott said. “It’s definitely a shame to see him go, but even if this didn’t happen no one would have forgotten him. We all would have remembered him…he is not a forgettable person.”

Instead of agonizing over whether or not their players are going to suffer an injury that could demolish not only the players’ seasons, but the team’s as well, many coaches ask their players to refrain from the tradition.

In the last three years softball coach Pam Pine has had a player who tore her ACL in the competition and a player who cut her foot and got a staff infection from the mud that kept her from playing for the rest of the season. Not to mention the year when there was glass in the mud.

“You just don’t know what’s in the mud,” Pine said. “There are a lot of chances for injuries. We don’t have many players to begin with. We don’t need to lose anyone due to injuries.”

Pine does not order her players not to participate but rather she “asks” them not to partake.

Softball pitcher Sierra Dickson was on last year’s champion mud volleyball team but this year she cheered on her classmates from the sidelines, away from the mud.

“I was really disappointed that I didn’t get to defend my title, but I understand it’s better for the team if we don’t play,” Dickson said.

Last year Dickson’s team was jammed pack with athletes including: Jake Miller (basketball), Matt Green (football) and Seth McCauley (golf).

Dickson planned on going to cheer her teammates on from the side lines. She tried “distance” herself from the tradition in order to not tempt herself. I

n the end this year’s championship team was DyNasty: seniors Ashleigh Allam, Ali Rueschoff, Lauren Self, Melanie McCain, Jacob Miller, Taylor Stuart, Matt Green and Daniel Gilroy.