At Albany High School, the yearly “Freshmen Friday” hazing started within the first week of the 2011-2012 school year. Every year there is an announcement over the P.A. warning students about what Albany High School principal Ted Barone refers to as “egg throwing,” and the punishments for the act. However, some students still refuse to abide by the rules.
This year, there have been several cases of upperclassmen egging underclassmen, as well as a few cases of the contrary. The school staff has taken action in suspending several students for these acts.
Along with eggings in the high school, some students have taken it to the middle school. Principal Barone said in an email to the Albany High Community, “Their targets were younger students, some of whom were at the middle school. We investigated these incidents and have suspended multiple students for their participation.” Barone continued, “We will pursue violators aggressively and with powerful consequences.”
Parents and school staff are not the only people with opinions on egg throwing. While students have a range of responses to the incidents, ranging from discontent to indifference, none chose to be quoted directly.
One junior said, “Egging at AHS has always been a tradition, not a good one, but still a tradition. I wasn’t mad, but confused; since the people that egged me were sophomores, that was what made me mad.”
This same student continued about regulating the problem: “Egging can never be fully controlled, but it has been cut down since last year.”
In contrast to this upperclassman, a sophomore had other views: “Egging is given way too much attention at AHS. It isn’t even a big problem compared to other things going around at the school.”
Problem or not, the Albany High School staff will have to try some new methods of controlling the situation if they don’t want it to persist. While actual punishments and their threat have had some effect, the school has yet to find a means of stopping the traditional eggings once and for all.
