For the first year ever at JC, the Senior Variety Show was canceled due to lack of participation. This show has been a long-standing tradition that many alumni come back to see, but not this year. To some seniors, this doesn’t matter. To others, this is awful. One thing that is clear, though, is that there is a lack of unity in the senior class.

In previous years, the senior class has been very close and comfortable around each other, but this year there seems to be something different. Instead of there being a room full of writers and people wanting to act and help in any way they can, Ms. Howe’s room only had a few seats filled with seniors trying to save the tradition.

When it was clear that there was a risk of losing the variety show, administrators called a meeting for the entire senior class. They reminded seniors about the tradition of the show and how it is a fund-raiser for the class. They also invited anyone interested in participating to join them for a lunch meeting in the Brown Room to determine if there were enough participants for writing and acting.

There needed to be a minimum of forty people signed up and committed to doing the show. When Senior Class Moderator Mr. Larry Hensley got a final count of people doing the show, there was enough.

He told these confirmed participants when the rehearsals were and how important they were — the first one being that day after school.

When the final bell rang and people met in the auditorium, less than half of those who said they would help were there.

This put the nail in the coffin, and the show was canceled. Just like that.

I understand that some seniors have jobs and other commitments, but there is no way our class is that different from literally any other previous senior class in the history of JC. The real reason was that most seniors didn’t feel like doing it.

I think this really shows accurately the nature of our class. This year’s senior class has clear differences from previous ones. The non-surprising thing is that the seniors who didn’t put any effort into helping with the show will probably be unhappy with the cost of prom tickets. The Senior Variety Show is the main fund-raiser for seniors to lower the cost of prom tickets. I don’t know what people thought.

Without a show, there are no tickets sold. With no tickets sold, there is no money to help with prom tickets. Apparently having fun with fellow classmates and lowering the cost of the prom is not important to the seniors this year.

I hope that next year’s senior class will bring back the show.