For decades, camping out and running down ‘the hill’ was considered by Wayland High School seniors to be the climactic event of senior year. However, when Mr. Tutwiler succeeded Mr. Ruopp as principal, that tradition was put to an end. Because of the mistakes made by a few individuals in the past, the tradition has been eliminated for everyone. Last year, when Mr. Tutwiler broke the news to students, the student body was outraged. Students and parents wrote e-mails and petitions, and they even asserted that, in the name of tradition, they would nonetheless run down the hill.

“The response was natural,” said Mr. Tutwiler. “Kids were looking forward to Hill Day before they were even in high school; taking away something so anticipated clearly would cause students to be upset. I wasn’t surprised.” The sympathetic principal was not trying to end the tradition of seniors coming together on their last night, but instead he was simply concerned with the drinking and partying beforehand. In place of Hill Day, Tutwiler told the Class of 2008 that they could pick from a variety of choices as an alternative. He suggested throwing a concert, having food, or other safe and legal events that would make the last day of high school a memorable one. The Wayland police decided to host a breakfast, and the seniors elected to run through the buildings of the school during homeroom. Though the class of 2008 perceived the stunt as fun, many members of the student body felt differently.

Junior Ian Bonner stated that, “Running through the buildings is something I still wish to do; however, everything else seemed very forced and unnatural. Everyone is accustomed to seeing Hill Day, and this was just a strange and uncomfortable sight to not see the seniors running down the hill.”

In response to what some perceived as last year’s “lame” run, one present senior stated that, “Last year I was embarrassed for the seniors. Like yeah, running through school is fun, but I could do that on any day I wanted.” After talking to multiple seniors, it has become clear that they are still going to fight for Hill Day, despite Mr. Tutwiler’s rules. While some feel that it is legitimate for the school to put an end to the event, others feel strongly that they are not being provided with the opportunity to come together as a grade. Some  seniors feel that Hill Day is not about the drinking or the partying; rather, it is about the senior class coming together for the last time as high school students. Senior Naomi Rosenhaus said, “Last year the seniors split up into different groups and went to different places on their last night, but I would rather be with my entire grade.” As the seniors approach their last days of high school, many will be trying to think of an alternative to Hill Day. Some are looking to stage a more inclusive event that will bring the seniors together, while others are still planning to run down the hill. Clearly, the impact of Mr. Tutwiler’s decision to ban Hill Day has continued to promote debate and discussion among the students even a year later. The fight for Hill Day will continue.