Isabelle Sarraf
Writer '18
Everyone across the country, let alone Great Neck, has heard about the so-called “clownpocalypse.” This phenomenon that has swept the nation might sound like a joke to some people at first glance. People dressed in clowns haunting towns throughout America? Clowns luring children into the woods? These clown sightings first began in late August of this year, and the craze surrounding them developed throughout the months of September and October.
Many of the clown sightings have been pure hoaxes, but there have actually been multiple arrests of people dressed as clowns. A handful of people have faced felony charges for making terrorist threats associated with the clown-related hysteria. Some people have even been stabbed by clowns within the past couple months. But is this really a threat to Great Neck’s small community? The answer, unfortunately, is yes.
After hearing all the news reports about clown sightings and watching Facebook videos of clowns attacking people with bats–or even knives–students from the Great Neck North High School probably thought this was just a freak thing that would not affect them. However, just last month, an Instagram account with the username “clownsofgreatneck” posted pictures of several schools in the Great Neck district with captions threatening the schools of possible clown-related attacks. That day, the school had a closed campus in order to ensure safety, but many parents were extremely concerned about clowns threatening their children’s schools.
As of November, the clown sightings have died down and there have not been any clowns seen in Great Neck. However, the threat against our district still resonates among members of the community. For example, at the time, there were many concerns about whether or not security should be increased in case of a future event regarding the clowns. Nowadays, this may seem a bit excessive, but it does bring a strong point. Some students believed that the school closing campus the day of the clown threat was an overreaction; these students had been brushing off the clown phenomenon for weeks already, having watched countless videos of these clown attacks and laughing at the ridiculousness of it. For some though, the clown threat to our district was no laughing matter and they defend the school’s decision in keeping students safe in the face of an alarming issue.
There was also a polarizing announcement made in the school regarding an event that many students look forward to ever year for its hilarity, amusement, and quality entertainment: the annual Halloween parade. When students saw the signs promoting the Halloween parade, they noticed a sentence tacked onto them that are not usually present: “absolutely NO clown costumes; anyone remotely resembling this will get suspended.” Most students laughed this notice off, ridiculing the school administration for taking the clown hysteria far too seriously. This clown situation, however, does give the community something to ponder over with regards to the security and safety of all students.
Writer '18
Everyone across the country, let alone Great Neck, has heard about the so-called “clownpocalypse.” This phenomenon that has swept the nation might sound like a joke to some people at first glance. People dressed in clowns haunting towns throughout America? Clowns luring children into the woods? These clown sightings first began in late August of this year, and the craze surrounding them developed throughout the months of September and October.
Many of the clown sightings have been pure hoaxes, but there have actually been multiple arrests of people dressed as clowns. A handful of people have faced felony charges for making terrorist threats associated with the clown-related hysteria. Some people have even been stabbed by clowns within the past couple months. But is this really a threat to Great Neck’s small community? The answer, unfortunately, is yes.
After hearing all the news reports about clown sightings and watching Facebook videos of clowns attacking people with bats–or even knives–students from the Great Neck North High School probably thought this was just a freak thing that would not affect them. However, just last month, an Instagram account with the username “clownsofgreatneck” posted pictures of several schools in the Great Neck district with captions threatening the schools of possible clown-related attacks. That day, the school had a closed campus in order to ensure safety, but many parents were extremely concerned about clowns threatening their children’s schools.
As of November, the clown sightings have died down and there have not been any clowns seen in Great Neck. However, the threat against our district still resonates among members of the community. For example, at the time, there were many concerns about whether or not security should be increased in case of a future event regarding the clowns. Nowadays, this may seem a bit excessive, but it does bring a strong point. Some students believed that the school closing campus the day of the clown threat was an overreaction; these students had been brushing off the clown phenomenon for weeks already, having watched countless videos of these clown attacks and laughing at the ridiculousness of it. For some though, the clown threat to our district was no laughing matter and they defend the school’s decision in keeping students safe in the face of an alarming issue.
There was also a polarizing announcement made in the school regarding an event that many students look forward to ever year for its hilarity, amusement, and quality entertainment: the annual Halloween parade. When students saw the signs promoting the Halloween parade, they noticed a sentence tacked onto them that are not usually present: “absolutely NO clown costumes; anyone remotely resembling this will get suspended.” Most students laughed this notice off, ridiculing the school administration for taking the clown hysteria far too seriously. This clown situation, however, does give the community something to ponder over with regards to the security and safety of all students.