Compared to previous school years, senior participation has never been so low. Whether it is attendance at a pep rally, sporting events, a school play or after school activities, the involvement of the class of 2017 is rapidly decreasing. Many of the students believe that these events are “lame” or no longer exciting.

 “I think senior involvement has declined in part due to increased school work. Once anyone starts taking APs, their priorities change slightly,” said senior Amanda Bisnath.

 Granted, many of this year’s seniors have high attendance to events such as football games, it is just simply the fact that everyone stands around, waiting for someone to start a chant or even leave early when our team is winning. It leaves everyone, especially the underclassmen who look up to the seniors, confused and unsure of what to do.

 Freshman, sophomores, and especially juniors who have had the experience and understanding of a high participating senior class, are very unhappy with the lack of school spirit.

 “It bothers me that people don’t cheer or support at games or music events. We are all classmates and friends so the least we can do is support each other for something we are all passionate about. I understand people are busy and have their own schedules, but whenever they can, it means a lot to people when their friends or even people they aren’t friends with still come out to support,” said junior Drew Weidman.

 Because of the lack of participation, it has left students and faculty to question what has led to such a decline. Is it because of the workload due to more difficult classes? The immense amount of work needed to be done for college apps? Or, the lack of motivation? While all of these are valid reasons, the seniors in previous classes have dealt with just the same amount of work, yet many of them still came out to events and more importantly, participated and made the events exciting. School events became a place where everyone, regardless of grade, were excited to go to.

 “I think the seniors are all kind of ‘over’ high school and have stopped really caring. They’re all busy with work, school and college, so I get that, but I can’t really wrap my finger around why their participation is worse than the previous seniors,” said Weidman.

 So if the lack of participation is due to an immense workload, or simply no longer caring, the students and faculty of Potomac Falls are only left to wonder: what do we do to fix this?

 “I think the first step should be most of the seniors staying for pep rallies. In turn, underclassmen would also stay because it could actually be fun. This could also increase participation in athletic events,” said senior Suliman Koraganie.

 What has left some seniors hesitant about coming out and cheering at games is the crackdown of the administration.

 “I think administrators are detrimental to participation. They try to cut out all the fun by saying it is offensive or inappropriate. This really only applies to sporting events as they shut down all the fun at football and basketball games,” said Koraganie.

 So while everyone has been able to place blame about why they no longer come out to participate, why has nobody done anything about it? Seniors say we should stay for the pep rallies, but never do. They place blame on their college applications and AP workload, but all of college apps should have already been turned in. No matter what, it is finally time for seniors to band together and bring excitement and participation back to Potomac Falls.

 “I think sporting events attract a lot of people and are a great way to support the school. Pep rallies, as they do every year, attract less and less students. I think SCA works really hard to ensure that we have a great pep rally, but we simply need something that is different,” said Bisnath.

 What brought a lot of attention to the decline of participation and why it is a huge problem is the possible cancellation of Mr. PFHS. [Mr. PFHS] is a beloved tradition at Potomac Falls in which senior boys compete through hilarious skits, songs and demonstrations of their talents to wow the judges and their fellow classmates in order to win the title of “Mr. PFHS.” It has always been a wonderful night full of laughter and the chance to bond among seniors, yet with the lack of involvement and no one signing up to participate, the event has threatened to be cancelled.

 “I think it would be a terrible idea to cancel Mr. PFHS. It is a long tradition and many students, like myself, have been looking forward to it. You can’t just cancel a school event that has been going on for many years and is met with great reception,” said Koraganie.

 So if the faculty and student body of Potomac Falls can agree upon the lack of participation, why can nobody agree on what needs to be done to fix it?

 “I wish our class could be excited for every school event and look forward to things like reunions, Mr. PFHS, or project grad. But at the same time, I understand why participation is so low, especially considering the workload I endure along with many other extra curriculars,” said Bisnath.