Birthday fun or death trap? Balloons will no longer be allowed on campus, due to safety hazards.
Photo By: Whitten Bumbalough, Photo Manager

Disclaimer: the following article was written as a part of The Seminole’s 2015 April Fool’s issue. The content included is false, including interviews. Happy April Fool’s Day!

By: Natalie Lambert, Content Manager and Gouthami Gadamsetty, Copy Editor

On March 23 2015, two students involved in an incident with balloons at SHS, sustained serious injuries such as broken limbs and head trauma. Due to this, a ban on balloons at Seminole will be going into effect immediately after thorough consideration from administration.

“I was going to class in Renegade and was using the back stairs because usually they’re less crowded. I was like trying to go up the second landing when a girl came down the stairs on the same side with a huge thing of balloons. I’ve never gotten balloons at school, so I’m not sure if it’s normal to get twenty but she had them all. She passes by and they all just kind of hit me in the face. So, I couldn’t see well and ended up tripping on one of the steps and falling,” says sophomore Ellie Escalier. “I was trying to grab for the stairs but ended up grabbing more balloons and pulling the girl with me.”

The students were found at the bottom of the stairs by Assistant Principal Mrs. Mary Turner-Rocha after hearing concerned yells. Both students were helped onto golf-carts and taken to the nurse’s office to be treated immediately for their injuries and to contact guardians.

“I just found it weird that the girl who fell with me was more concerned about the balloons then the fact that she broke her leg,” says Escalier. “I was in so much pain and all because of balloons. It’s something that didn’t need to happen.”

When the ban on balloons is in full-effect, balloons will be considered a safety hazard at SHS and will be confiscated if brought onto campus. No one will be permitted to give or receive balloons in response to the incident.

“It’s obnoxious when you’re walking through the doors and have to wait for some girl to shove her forty balloons through the door. No one needs that many balloons. We get it, it’s your birthday,” says freshman Arentu Shaidey. “I think the ban would be good for everyone.”

Other concerns that administration believes will be overcome with the ban on balloons involves students, who do not receive balloons, feeling left out, and the hassle of carrying balloons causing tardies. With the ban of balloons, these issues may be decreased and ensure the safety of all students attending SHS.

“It makes sense. We don’t need them cluttering our campus every day for no reason other than to make people feel like they have friends,” says junior Dante Windar. “It’s natural selection. If you’re stupid enough to bring the balloons on campus then you need to face the consequences.”