by Cal Wilson ’14

“Within high school, a social group may interact aggressively towards its peers in order to find a place of solitude to relieve stress from the tedious work they do throughout the day. Students often begin to exhibit animal-like characteristics and may even engage in violent behavior if their stress is not relieved in a tranquil eating area.”

Penny Laroo, professor of sociology at James Madison University, has studied adolescent teens for more than half of her career; above is an excerpt from her essay “Students During Lunchtime: the Frustration-Aggravation Principle” in which she explains the drastic changes students undergo during lunch. She wrote that they become “rowdy, energetic, and violent.” This was just the case when seniors residing in the downstairs H hallway near the Ertzman were confronted by freshmen for their lunch spot throughout the first few weeks of school.

It all began on the second day of school when an unidentified freshman confronted senior Brian McNeely during lunch and began “telling” him this was his spot now. McNeely told the freshmen that his friends had claimed this spot the first day of school and that it was theirs. The freshman was frustrated that he could not have a view of Sherwood’s beautiful football stadium, and, with hatred in his eye, retreated up the stairwell.

“He left and I thought it was over,” said McNeely. “I didn’t think much of it.” Later on that week the freshman returned, this time with a small army of peers. They began taunting the seniors who initially ignored the freshmen’s jests. The freshmen only got more frustrated when the seniors paid them no attention. Then, Laroo’s Frustration-Aggravation Principle kicked in.

“What happened next was completely unexpected,” said senior Julianne Maxwell, an eyewitness. The larger freshmen leaped onto seniors Dylan Firey and Joey DeStefano, while the shorter freshmen proceeded to kick at their shins. Nearby friends of Firey and DeStefano jumped in to attempt to pull the freshmen off, and it finally took three additional seniors to pull the freshmen off. Seniors fended off the freshmen after five minutes of shin-bruising and back scratching, and the freshmen scrambled away.

“I guess we really showed them because they didn’t come back after that, but my shins still hurt. I think one of them must have played soccer,” said Firey. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured and the seniors have not come in contact with other hostile students since this incident. None of the victims knew any of their assailants and have yet to see them in the halls.  The seniors do not expect the freshmen to return to their spot anytime soon.