Seven Hills has an ongoing tradition of giving senior students extended freedom, which is known as “senior privileges.” One of those senior privileges at our school is the senior lounge, which is a space that is exclusive for seniors, where they are able to use their devices, sit on comfortable furniture-such as couches and beanbags. This year, however, the senior lounge got a new addition of a 70-inch flat screen TV, which was a major upgrade from the smaller, older TV that we had before. Even with this incredible gift, the TV is currently used only by a select group of students, whilst the others don’t go anywhere near the TV. The question becomes: how can we turn this new TV into a symbol of inclusivity and togetherness for the senior class as a whole?
Seven Hills senior senator, Davion Washington, believes that the brand new TV can invite individuals to the senior lounge where they can unwind and relax, and he wants the TV to be a system that can further assist them in doing so. “I just want it to be a space where everyone can watch what they want,” Washington said. For Washington, highlights of important football games from the weekend, seasonal shows and movies, and video games are all components of the TV that attract seniors to the lounge. However, he also understood that without structure, a welcoming environment is hard to sustain. Washington proposed an interesting idea of implementing a sign-up sheet for the senior lounge TV, guaranteeing that one group of people is unable to hog the TV for themselves, and instead, the TV time will be distributed more evenly. “It’s usually first-come, first-served, but that’s unfair to those who don’t watch whatever others are watching. Maybe we can set time limits or vote so everyone gets a fair turn,” Washington said.
Senior, Lailyn Burton, believed that TV watching should include the implementation of seasonal television, such as Halloween and Christmas movies. “We talked about watching Halloween movies for Halloween or Christmas movies for Christmas – something that everyone can collectively agree on,” Burton said. Burton also wanted the TV to captivate other seniors to come into the senior lounge rather than repel them out: “It can help people have something to talk about in the lounge, and everybody can enjoy the same thing together.”
For both Burton and Washington, the biggest issue with the senior lounge TV wasn’t the lack of usage but instead the lack of collaboration between groups. “It’s annoying when someone just takes the remote and plays FlightReacts when nobody else wants to watch it,” Burton stated. Washington shared a similar concern and suggested that we incorporate watching longer movies since “no one’s really excluded” and everyone can share the TV amongst each other.
Burton also added a concern regarding the TV’s access to other streaming services. Burton stated that at the moment, the only streaming platform that is on our TV is YouTube, and since that is the case, it is a lot trickier to find other content that isn’t just YouTube videos. “Getting subscriptions would make it easier for us to watch actual movies and shows instead of random videos,” she added.
Overall, the brand-new TV in the senior lounge is supposed to envision the diversity and unity of the senior class, in hopes of making this senior year the best possible. Personally, I believe the senior lounge TV would thrive under a schedule-based system. In doing so, it allows more structure for the TV’s usage, and allows all students to have a say in what is played on the TV. I think that if the Student Government is able to make the schedule a reality, the senior class would use it judiciously, and allow collaboration of what is displayed. If used properly, the new TV could be more than just a gadget on the wall and instead a symbol of connection, compromise, and ultimately community.
