Cowboy fight never dies
Senior traditions live on despite limitations
Coppell High School seniors Tallulah Rushton, Maura Valentine and Maggie Castranova design their senior overalls for the 2020-2021 school year. Despite COVID-19, seniors are still making their senior overalls to keep the Coppell tradition going.
October 20, 2020
With the cancellation of anticipated events for the 2020-21 school year such as senior prom and spring sporting events due to COVID-19, the class of 2020 ended its four years at high school in an unexpected way.
This year, with the world still in a pandemic, the question arises from the class of 2021: will high school end the same way as last year with the absence of memorable events and traditions?
However, at Coppell High School, the Cowboys are finding a way to not let that happen.
“I do remember being a freshman and looking at the seniors, thinking that they were so cool and so mature,” CHS senior Maggie Castranova said. “I thought by the time I would be a senior, I’d be like them.”
CHS seniors make overalls and jorts (jean shorts) to wear to football home games annually. It is a tradition that has been maintained for years. Many seniors spend a significant amount of time choosing fabrics and designing their overalls.
2012 CHS graduate and algebra II and honors pre-calculus teacher Lucy Grimmett experienced the same senior traditions as today’s seniors, including making overalls, attending football games and decorating parking spots.
“Things I can remember that were super fun were overalls,” Grimmett said. “I remember taking pictures with all of my friends in the big hallway, under the senior bridge and on the senior bridge with my favorite teachers. That brings us all together as a group and those were the most impactful and meaningful.”
With 27% of students attending in-person school at CHS campus, the tradition of seniors making and wearing overalls and jorts is still being celebrated.
“Overalls represent people’s personalities,” Castranova said. “It gives them a chance to express what they’ve been involved in throughout high school, who they are, the vibrant colors each person chooses and what patches they choose. It’s really reflective of who they are.”
During football season, memories are created when seniors are in the student section – a group of students that supports the Cowboys by attending and cheering at games. With a 50% seating capacity for attendance at games, seniors still have the chance to experience football games for the last time in the student section with the same spirit.
“[The game] was not as crowded, but we still had the same energy,” CHS senior Lily Lee said. “Everyone was still really pumped up for the football games this year.”
The spirit of senior year can still be seen around campus despite the differences from previous years.
“It’s just a little more humbling this year and kind of sad because it’s the last year but you’re not getting to fully enjoy [games] like we used to,” Grimmett said. “It’s very exciting to be a senior in general, but it’s different in the way that [they] are able to celebrate being seniors this year.”
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