With last year’s exceptionally harsh freshman hazing incidents still crisp in their minds, Paly students, staff, and administrators have mixed feelings with the approach of the first Friday of the school year, the day on which Freshman Friday has historically occurred.

In order to keep the events of last August from happening again, the administration has taken several steps to inform and unify the student body.

A year ago, Paly’s ritual hazing of incoming freshmen on the first Friday of the school year spun out of control, surprised the community and provoked an unprecedented disciplinary response from the administration leading to the suspension of a number of students.

“I hold Paly and its students in very high regard,” Assistant Principal Todd Feinberg said. “It [Freshman Friday] was not how I envisioned my first week at Paly.”

Perhaps the most publicized event of last year’s hazing was the paddling of a seventh grader, apparently misidentified as a freshman. This resulted in public outrage and brought about many of the changes in Freshman Friday policy.

The Paly administration is taking serious steps to prevent a repeat of last year’s events.

“We have communicated with local law enforcement and asked for their participation,” Feinberg said.

Additionally, the school has sent out voicemails and e-mails to students and teachers regarding a lunchtime rally designed by the Associated Student Body to promote inter-class unity on Freshman Friday.

In an attempt to pre-emptively answer questions about the consequences for participation in freshman hazing, Feinberg encourages students to read the discipline section of their student handbooks. However, Feinberg thinks that this shouldn’t be necessary. “I think that students are well aware of the consequences,” he said.

This year’s freshmen are highly conscious of the events of last year’s Freshman Friday incident.

“I almost got egged last year,” freshman Tia Rabinovitz said. “I hear people throw eggs at you from cars.”

Despite her concerns Rabinovitz is reassured by her perception that it is worse for boys or freshmen who know upperclassmen.

Student Activities Director Kindel Launer is hopeful that ASB’s initiatives will help to ameliorate the hazing, if any, that occurs this year. One of the major events that ASB has planned is a lunch rally on Friday, Aug. 28, designed to promote unity between the classes, according to a letter Launer sent to fourth period teachers.

Launer is confident that this year’s seniors will behave appropriately on Friday.

“I expect our students to continue as they have been this year, which is welcoming and protective of the freshmen,” she said.

Launer is not alone in her confidence in this year’s upperclassmen.

“It would take a strong group of students to end the bad practice we call Freshman Friday,” Feinberg said. “And I believe that our juniors and seniors could be just the group to do it.”