In a school year full of fun and engaging events, LTHS students have had a lot to look forward to. Even so, few events can rival the massive anticipation students have for Blazerfest, an all-day event where students can enjoy a wide range of activities, including a school-wide kickball tournament and food trucks. The event is a school year highlight for many students and, being one of the few held during the day, it presents the opportunity for different grades to interact and bond with each other—at least, it used to. For the first time in eight years, underclassmen are fully prohibited from participating in Blazerfest activities occurring on May 20, 2025. This new rule sparks confusion among LT underclassmen as they wonder why they aren’t allowed to participate in one of the most exciting events of the year.
The decision follows similarly limited participation rules enforced in 2024, where underclassmen were excluded from Blazerfest activities and were restricted to their regular class periods, with one exception: the kickball tournament. Because the decision to remove underclassmen from the event was made after the kickball teams were formed, recruited members were allowed to participate in the tournament only.
In both instances, the removal was controversial among underclassmen. Likewise, the decision was not made lightly by administrators. Principal Fern Bamfo-Addo provided insight into the main factors involved.
“The primary reasons underclassmen will not be participating in Blazerfest this year are centered on student safety and maintaining a secure campus environment,” Addo said. “Including the entire student body of 2160 students would strain our supervisory capacity beyond a manageable level, potentially compromising our ability to ensure everyone’s safety.”
To a large extent, this reasoning is well-founded: allowing over 2000 students to roam free on campus would undermine security capabilities and would most likely overwhelm the staff. However, this argument would hardly apply to kickball tournament access, where only a select few underclassmen would be added to the total. Additionally, as parameters have already been established regarding the size and amount of teams, including underclassmen in this event—similar to the system used last year—would require only a marginal increase in supervision, if any at all.
Among the criticisms raised by underclassmen, some students have cited a tendency of the administration to facilitate senior-centric activities without specific attention to other classes. However, Addo provided a refutation to this assertion.
“Blazerfest is intended to be a unique celebration for our 11th and 12th graders as they approach the culmination of their high school journey,” Addo said. “While Blazerfest is a senior-focused event, we are committed to fostering a sense of community and value for all our students throughout the entire school year through a variety of initiatives, including pep rallies, grade-level specific meetings and activities, and ongoing engagement through clubs and organizations that are open to all students.”
To her point, it is understandable that senior-specific events help to celebrate an important milestone by contributing to a memorable final year. In addition, it is true that many past events have been open to all students and were tailored to create a welcoming environment. However, in contrast with the half-dozen senior events of the school year, there were no programs aimed at underclassmen beyond informational occasions such as the freshman Stampede and the grade-level meeting mentioned above. This fact, paired with the Blazerfest expulsion, has caused many underclassmen to feel overlooked in the current structure, and it is unclear whether the administration has plans to address these concerns.
Despite the various arguments raised about Blazerfest, it stands as a testament to the administration’s efforts to cultivate a positive environment for its students at LTHS. Although some underclassmen feel underrepresented in the current system, Principal Addo reaffirms the school’s commitment to engaging all students and representing them in the LTHS community. Whether this affirmation leads to any future change remains to be seen.
