It is safe to say that senior quotes are a tradition that a large majority of the class of 2019 has been looking forward to for quite some time. Senior quotes allow us to express our creativity and unique personalities in the yearbook. It’s like a final statement to leave behind as a reminder of our past and for people to remember us by.

There have been new restrictions placed on senior quotes this year that require seniors to provide a quote with a reliable source, in order to make it more professional and appropriate. In addition, you only get one chance to submit your senior quote and if it is deemed inappropriate, you will be stuck with the default, “Congratulations class of 2019!”.

There is a great amount of thinking that goes into a senior quote. Trying to find one that makes people laugh, describes you, and represents you in a way you can smile back on, is a pretty extensive process for most seniors. However, with the new rules, it stifles the creative minds high schoolers have and prevents us from using so many possibilities that would fit greatly.

It is understandable that these rules are in place due to mistakes by seniors of past years, and it certainly makes sense that this is in order to keep select seniors of present time from doing something just as stupid or worse. It feels a lot though like all seniors are being restricted and, to a degree, punished, for the actions of a small group. Just because a couple of the thousands of seniors in past years have abused the rules previously, doesn’t mean the rules should necessarily be this rigid.

Although it says to see Mrs. Simon if you are unsure about the chosen quotes appropriateness, it doesn’t necessarily prevent the chance of misunderstanding. Imagine opening your yearbook expecting to see a quote you chose three years back, only for it to say “Congratulations class of 2019” like the other standard pictures.

Ultimately, it is understood that these policies are meant to help the yearbook stay classy and appropriate. However, the limit placed on expressing ourselves make senior quotes feel too restrictive and underwhelming for the current class.