Students from both OHS and Mountain Ridge have taken this rivalry too far. So far, in fact, that if we compare the rivalry to a cliff, with the edge of the cliff being as far as it should go, both sides have driven off the cliff, crashing down through the ground to the center of the earth while simultaneously setting the cliff on fire.

That being said, use the brain that you have been given. If you see something get out of hand, take a step back and do something about the situation. Remind your friends not to lose their mind over something that will be irrelevant to them in three years time.

Being trapped against your will with a paralyzing fear of not knowing what is coming next is an incredible amount of stress for anyone. Stuck in a closed off space with people you are not particularly fond of, you count the seconds ticking by, wishing for it to be over.

No, I am not describing prison, nor am I speaking of being kidnapped and hid from society. I am, however, touching on the irritation that I felt on Oct. 24 when OHS was put into lockdown due to a security threat on campus.

I have no issue with administration putting the school on lockdown when they deem something threatening. In fact, I am thankful they were cautious and were not willing to take risks with safety.

I do, however, have a massive issue regarding why this lockdown happened.

For years, OHS and Mountain Ridge have had a rivalry that is more notorious than any other high school rivalry that comes to mind. The rivalry has been growing tremendously each year, with it reaching a boiling point most recently.

Wearing a “Beat Ridge!” shirt is no excuse for vandalism or anything close to it. In addition to that, vandalism is in no way an excuse for threatening any type of violence, whether it be serious or not.

While I am extraordinarily irritated with the lack of maturity and simple common sense shown from several, not all, students, I am more displeased with the fact that the school does not seem to see anything wrong with the situation.

Stugo appears to be greatly fueling the fire more and more, to the point where venomous hatred is being spewed by both sides. They created an entire week promoting the rivalry, in addition to printing an abundance of OC > MR shirts. There comes a point where reflection on common sense of what is happening should outweigh the importance of the volume of people that wore pink shirts on Friday.

I am in no way saying that this rivalry cannot be something enjoyable for the school; healthy competition is absolutely normal and can be a morale boost.