Editorial: Taking accountability, moving forward: Gunn, Paly should stress improving inter-school relations to discourage hostility

The Oracle Staff|September 29, 2022

Consequences of Paly’s Actions

On Sept. 20, 2022, Palo Alto High School (Paly) administration announced that their upcoming Homecoming Spirit Week would be scaled back to prevent unsportsmanlike conduct. This curtailment is just one of many repercussions Paly faces as a result of the events of the Gunn vs. Paly football game on Sept. 9.

According to Paly Principal Brent Kline’s live broadcast on Friday, Sept. 16, California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) has banned all Paly students from attending Paly’s Sept. 24 football game against Menlo School; however, students will still be allowed to attend their Homecoming Game against Homestead High School on Sept. 30. The ban may be prolonged for future games, depending on Paly’s behavior at the Homecoming Game. Paly will also have to pay a fine for lost ticket revenue from the Menlo game. 

These consequences were enacted, perhaps not to prevent a showdown from happening again, but for the sake of keeping their students accountable for their actions.

Furthermore, according to the Paly Voice, Paly’s upcoming Spirit Week rallies will also be scaled back, with best-dressed events on Monday and Tuesday instead. As it goes, Paly has historically had other issues with showing school spirit, including harassing their own Associated Student Body (ASB) members over lost class points at rallies.

Paly’s lack of sportsmanship at the game rightfully prompts those repercussions and a conversation about how to move forward and rebuild a friendly rivalry between the two schools. 

 

The Importance of Accountability

Although cheering is expected and encouraged, there’s a point where spirit becomes sour. By charging across the field, Paly students erred by failing to show proper sportsmanship and respect on three fronts: to their rivals in the stands, administrators from both schools and the players on the field. Thus, limiting spirit events so Paly students can take accountability is a step in the right direction—people were seriously hurt and the reputations of both schools were damaged, and to ignore all these developments and continue as if nothing happened is inappropriate. 

This accountability, even if it punishes a majority of students based on the actions of a minority, is important in healing the rivalry between Gunn and Paly. Accountability is the basis of recognizing and rectifying wrongs. The consequences Paly students face are not punishments—they are suitable repercussions for mass student misbehavior. 

Moving Forward

Gunn and Paly students, not just ASB members, should also be involved in conversations about how to act moving forward. That’s not to say this potential meeting can’t be orchestrated by ASB; simply that they can integrate the perspectives of a diverse crowd of both Gunn and Paly students to speak on how the events affected them. 

Furthermore, continuously sweeping this massive rivalry under the rug only serves to let it fester into something bigger than just rivalry. Leaders of the schools’ student government, sports teams  and publications can discuss and issue a statement to the student body about the purpose and meaning of the rivalry for them, and how best to utilize that rivalry to benefit both schools—something can be incorporated into our already existing sports rallies. 

The schools can also organize a sportsmanship summit and invite participation from those most negatively impacted by the events: the football teams. It’s no secret that both teams are disappointed in losing game time, especially seniors whose every moment on the field counts, as a result of the mistakes of others. 

Ultimately, it is up to each individual student to carry out these requests. Building a strong sense of community and friendliness is crucial in encouraging students to engage with one another in competitive, but appropriate, manners. Looking into the future, both schools can show school pride by placing importance not only on winning but also in building and participating in a district-wide positive community.