I, along with my fellow peers born in the span of the years 2002-2003, am a proud member of the class of 2021 at LHS. No need to reread that, yes, I am proud. Proud of what? Our abysmal attendance at football games and lack of school spirit? Besides, rumor has it that our supposed low performance last year jump started the infamous Freshman Academy. Sure, everyone might think we suck, but rest-assured, there are still places to find pride.

Students that feel a particular disdain for the sophomores may feel so for a wide range of reasons, one of them being the notion that it was our failure that brought about the Freshman Academy. The whole ordeal was brought about because the class of 2021 had atrocious grades and a lower than ever passing rate. Current freshman, Ayush Patel, wholeheartedly agrees, placing the blame on the shoulders of the current sophomores.

“[The sophomores] started the Freshman Academy, which sucks,” said Patel.

School provided statistics show quite the contrary. Last year the passing rate from freshman to sophomore was a little over 90 percent for the class of 2021, compared to the average rate of 82 percent in past years. According to Joshua Smith, Freshman Academy coordinator, the freshmen last year were not the reason the program started. It was in fact the cumulative results piling up over the years that spurred the change.

“Last year’s [freshmen] actually scored very well. It was because of the improvements we saw due to our efforts that made us believe that the [Freshman Academy] would work,” said Smith.

Granted, this improvement is in part due to the increased efforts by teachers and staff last year and implementation of programs such as the Saturday academy, nevertheless the facts still remain, last year we were better. So, while we may only have enough of us to barely occupy a mere two rows at football games and are widely renowned for observing sporting events in utter silence, our graduation rates show that there isn’t anything holding us back from staying right where we are.

Hate is not a foreign concept to most of the current sophomores. There are many who can recall being told on the daily that their class is everything but the crown jewel of LHS. Unfortunately, for some, these comments have not served their purpose and deterred any sophomores. Maybe it’s time for acceptance, embrace the “awful.” If one is really bent on seeing the demise of the class of 2021, I would suggest a new tactic, something many are foreign to, kill them with kindness.

At the end of the day, the class of 2021 could give a little more effort when it comes to passion for and attendance at school events. Current sophomore Nicholas Jensen believes this lack is made up for just by the overall comportment of the class.

“Everyone is nice, there’s rarely any bullying, it seems like everyone is just pretty happy. We are all pretty good people,” said Jensen.

Take Jensen’s word for it or not. At the end of the day, one thing will still stand, at least we know how to pass a class.