Last year, a group of Mr. Eicher’s AP Chemistry students built a “Periodic Table” and donated it to the senior lounge, where the class of 2018 catch up on last minute homework in the morning, study during focus, eat during lunch, or play ping pong.

One day, about a month into the school year, Senior Gavin Duffy and a few other ping pong enthusiasts noticed that the already very useful periodic table could be made even more useful by making it into a table for the magical game of ping pong. The table is slightly smaller than a normal pong table, but it still works. The next day, Gavin brought in a ping pong table net that was a perfect fit for the periodic pong table, and Jackson Howe brought in his extra paddles and balls from home. And thus the movement began. Every morning, lunch, senior focus, even between classes, you couldn’t walk by the senior lounge without catching a glimpse of the seniors locked in a game. Ping Pong became somewhat of a senior privilege, and the underclassmen began to notice as their desire to join in the game grew. I even overheard a freshmen conversation as they passed by the senior lounge, as one said “I can’t wait to play ping pong when I am a senior, that’s one of the things that’s motivating me to make it to senior year.” As you can tell, the ping pong epidemic has spread throughout the entire student body. Senior Bryson Rose spilled his true feelings for the game when he told me, “the passion for the game is incredible, the intensity is electrifying, and the feeling of beating Earl in ping pong is unmatched by any other.”

The only things stopping the seniors from constantly enjoying their beloved game are the teachers. Some teachers have disagreed with the right to play during school hours and put up signs to express this, which have since been ripped down. The class of 2018’s passion for the game is unbeatable, and they will stop at nothing to fulfill their passion.

“Ping Pong, the ancient art of trading tremendous forehands and artfully crafting volleys of increasing intensity. A little white ball filled with nothing but polycarbonates and a nitrogenously dominated solution of gases has created Gods, allowing individuals of insignificant stature to reach international Olympic glory and to be idolized by throngs of paddle wielding enthusiasts. To stifle the noble nature of this ancestral game by a mere sign printed on a singular, flimsy sheet of paper exhibits ignorance that predates the origin of written history. Students should not be discouraged by those with disdain for a noble sport, but should instead take solace in knowing that their efforts to master the art of striking a small white ball with the rigid paddle of insolence follow in the steps of countless individuals who have attained immortal glory.” -Jackson Howe