Every year it’s the same routine: suggestions, nominations, and finally voting. What am I talking about? Senior class favorites. Although the notion of this classic ritual might seem fun because of all of the commotion and interaction it may bring to the senior class, and maybe even to the rest of the school, we need to stop and think about it. Do the people nominated really deserve these somewhat prestigious titles, or is this just another popularity contest?

While I was nominating people for “Mr. and Mrs. Kerr,” “Most Beautiful/Handsome” and all the other categories, I had to stop and I ask myself who really deserved these titles aside from the already well-known students of the senior class. I looked down the list of names at least twice before deciding who I wanted to nominate, hoping to make my opinion count and that everyone will consider everyone in the class, from the shyest person to the most sarcastic person.

My hopes were futile because honestly, in the end, I knew who was going to win. To bystanders like me and to those who actually deserve a title, senior favorites are, and always will always be, another popularity contest. The people who actually do something meaningful with their time during high school deserve to be “Mr. and Mrs. Kerr,” not someone who just happens to be the most popular person. People who are beautiful on the inside as well on the outside deserve the title of “Most Beautiful/Handsome,” not some random guy/girl who happens to be hot but has a bad or stuck-up personality.

Everyone is special in their own way and I think that should be recognized. I’m only one person and I can only do so much, but if everyone didn’t look at this as a popularity contest and more of a “who actually deserves this” contest, then maybe, just maybe, going through the whole process of suggesting, nominating, and voting might be a bit more endurable. Everyone is worth something.