As the seniors jumped up and down in one of Great Neck North’s notorious mosh pits, one thing was certain — the class of 2018 had surely planned to leave Great Neck North with a bang.

Out of North High’s many events: Fashion Show, Spirit Week, Halloween Fair, and more, no other event gets the Great Neck students as riled up as Battle of the Classes, and that proved to be certain on the night of Saturday, March 3rd. Battle, unlike Fashion Show or Spirit Week, requires both class unity and intense preparation. Dedicated grade warriors have been working their tails off ever since before February break. Their motive is to not only give spectators the best show they can, but also to wow the judges into granting them class victory and extreme currency in the form of bragging rights. Preparation for Battle is not limited to intense dance practices, as each team chose an elite squad of artists to paint their Battle poster. Senior Elaine Zhang recounted the various hurdles in the making of this year’s battle poster by saying,
“Coming up with the idea was difficult because our topic was really broad but once we got it, it turned out to be really fun and rewarding.” For the Seniors of the “Senior Road Trip” their battle cry was transformed into art with the depiction of a Senior jeep riding off into the sunset. Perhaps this symbolized their journey out of North High and into the real world, as Saturday was one of the final stops on their “Senior Road Trip”, the Senior’s battle theme.

Despite the hoots and hollers, there was a bit of anticipated nostalgia glistening in the Seniors’ eyes that Saturday night. As Seniors such as Michelle Nazar can attest, “It’s so sad [for us] that this is the last battle.”
When asked how she thought the senior dance would turn out, she responded by saying “I actually think we’ve been prepared and I think our dance is really good compared to last years.” For Michelle, this was her first and last battle, and despite her inexperience, her prediction for the Senior’s performance aligned with the judges, as Seniors won first place for their dance on Saturday too. However, Saturday night was not all smooth sailing for the Seniors, as in the first half of the evening they often found themselves behind the Juniors in scoring, like at the end of Fireman’s Relay Race when Juniors were ahead 53 to 52.

As for the underclassmen, they had their individual shining moments as well throughout the night. This was especially true for the Freshmen who defeated the Sophomores in Theme, Tug of War, and Cage Ball. Ultimately, the Freshmen finished in 3rd ahead of their underclassmen rivals, a feat any Freshman class would be proud of. Perhaps their night could be characterized by the defining moment in their Battle dance: when Freshman Damien Chafe was hoisted up into the air with outstretched arms to the tune of “I believe I Can Fly”. Although the Freshmen didn’t win, the “Freshmen Take Flight” squad certainly proved they can fly with the big boys.

For many, especially the victorious Seniors, Battle was an intense two hours filled with passionate chants and overwhelming joy. As all the classes were represented by their theme (“Freshmen take flight”, “Sophomore Squarepants”, “Junior Jacksons”, and “Senior Road Trip”) competition remained fierce throughout the night. Yet despite the historic victories and tragic defeats amongst the classes, Battle was surely a night of unity throughout the community. Many parents and teachers came to cheer on the beloved North High students, and the overall performances surely did not disappoint. Even when our own Principal, Mr. Holtzman, was asked what he thought of his very first Battle, his simple yet spot-on response was “It’s awesome.”