The All-School Council has announced homecoming’s expansion, which will now include 9th graders alongside Upper Schoolers. This will result in four grades being crammed in the gym on Oct. 28. While it is true that the cancellation of Carnival Night, formerly known as Casino Night, has increased the budget  for homecoming and made this expansion possible, I also wonder if a larger age range will create awkward interactions and polarized separation between the four grades. Is more really the merrier?

I find the cancellation of Carnival Night upsetting. With new 9th graders just starting at Marlborough, an event for the grade to socialize and get to know each other is a must. When I was a 9th grader, navigating through a venue packed with 10th, 11th and 12th graders to find potential friends would have been daunting. I certainly would have been overwhelmed as a freshman if I had been thrown into a pool of upperclassmen. Not to mention, Carnival Night was genuinely so much fun that I simply don’t understand its discontinuation.

It feels almost wrong to have 9th and 12th graders attend the same event due to their social and emotional differences and maturity levels of students varied between the ages of 14 and 18. Two separate events would benefit both age groups: Students would be able to interact more naturally, as they would feel more comfortable in their own environments.

The change could turn a fun event into a parade of awkward encounters and cause everyone involved — the 9th graders especially — a great deal of discomfort.