by Linden O’Brien-Wiliams

Frosh Fest skits were canceled this year, breaking an over 10-year-long tradition. According to guidance counselor Kelly McKee, the skits were canceled because of negative feedback from freshmen and teachers last spring.

According to McKee, the admissions department had organized Frosh Fest up until last year. When the responsibility transferred over to guidance counselors McKee and Amanda Johnson, they conducted a survey for all freshmen to answer, in which they received some negative results.

“In the feedback we received, we had a number of girls who said that the skits in particular made them feel uncomfortable and awkward versus welcomed and included,” McKee said.

According to Johnson and McKee, smaller introductions at the advisory level were made this year, including the school-provided pizza lunch, in hopes to accommodate different freshmen’s needs.

Junior Kellie O’Toole feels as though the cancellation of the skits means taking away a valuable memory.

“I guess for being at STA for two weeks, it’s kind of like baptism by fire,” O’Toole said. “Maybe it’s kind of scary to go in front of 500 girls that you pretty much haven’t met, but it’s fun to be goofy and it’s a tradition. We should have kept it.”

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Freshman Megan Warnecke also believes that the skits should remain a tradition.

“I think it would have been fun and it would have been nice to have that memory to look back on,” Warnecke said.

To senior Sabrina Saleh, the skits were welcoming, even as a transfer student.

“It was just a lot of fun to see the different acts,” Saleh said. “I don’t understand why the freshmen thought it was harsh or something because I transferred here and they included me, even as a transfer.”

Saleh also believes that the skits brought the student body together.

“Honestly I was really sad they were cancelled because I thought they were a lot of fun and I thought it brought out a lot of creativity from advisories in general,” Saleh said. “It kind of just gave us time to plan a fun activity together and watch us as a school bring out what we can do for each other.”

However, social studies teacher Mike Egner also believes that the skits were uncomfortable and that it was unfair to put new and timid students in such a situation.

“Some advisories didn’t put too much effort into introducing their freshmen and I think that was embarrassing for those freshmen because nobody was paying attention or clapping,” said Egner. “And then some advisories went way overboard and I think some of the freshmen got embarrassed.”

According to McKee, there have been complaints about the cancellation of the skits from the upperclassmen.

“I know we’ve gotten some feedback from upperclassmen in particular saying ‘We want the skits back’ and ‘We miss the skits,’ but unfortunately, this week is not about them,” McKee said. “It is about the freshmen.”

The skits at STA started with advisories dressing up in theme to introduce their freshmen at least 14 years ago, with the tradition expanding each year, according to director of admissions Roseann Hudnall.

While the skits are no longer occurring, some other changes have been made to further accommodate and welcome the freshmen, including a new Star Seminar plan and a longer, more realistic orientation. McKee said the measures taken to make the freshmen comfortable are something unique to STA.

“I think the STA community is a tight sisterhood,” McKee said. “We want everybody to feel as included as possible from the minute they’re on our campus, so we have all of these programs in place in an effort to do just that: to make them feel a part of the community.”