South’s Wall of Shame, a bulletin board across from the library overflowing with college rejection letters, has found a new competitor.

The newly-created Wall of Pride, stationed on English teacher Jodi Daynard’s white board, serves as a place for decided seniors to post the colleges they plan to attend.

Daynard started the Wall of Pride this past fall when a student in her advisory was accepted into Brown University.

“I had a big unused white board in my classroom, and I wanted to know where all my students were getting in to school and choosing to go,” Daynard said. “I was curious … and felt like celebrating with each one of them.”

Now, with more and more students writing on the board, Daynard views the wall as a constant source of brightness.

“It puts a smile on my face whenever I enter my classroom and see the new additions,” Daynard said. “I plan to do it next year as well.”

The wall has garnered popularity among some seniors. “I think it’s important to be proud of the school you get into whether or not it’s your first choice,” senior Ari Shvartsman, who favors the Wall of Pride over the Wall of Shame, said. “You should be proud of your accomplishments, not your failures.”

Other seniors have expressed concerns about the Wall of Pride. “College can be made into a competitive thing so people may be worried about where they are going. Having school names up on the board might draw attention to [the competitiveness],” senior Ariel Kirshenbaum said.

Senior Matt Ma agrees with Kirshenbaum: “[The Wall of Pride] might make [seniors] feel inferior about their college choices,” he said.

Kirshenbaum and Ma do appreciate the Wall of Shame.

“[The Wall of Shame] is something that can bring seniors together and bring light to something that can be pretty disappointing,” said Kirshenbaum. “The Wall of Shame can make rejection exciting.”

Senior Abby Shuster believes that both walls have merit. “I think the [Wall of Shame] is nice because kids can come together and bond over things you don’t usually want to talk about,” Shuster said, adding, “I think the [Wall of Pride is] a good idea, [too.]”

Shvartsman doubts the value of the Wall of Shame. “If it helps people it’s nice, but I think it’s a really stupid idea; yes, you should deal with your failures, but you shouldn’t make trophies out of them,” he said.

Seniors like Shvartsman, however, are rarities, most preferring with the Wall of Shame to the Wall of Pride.

“I don’t think the [Wall of Pride] is as positive as the Wall of Shame [in the end,] because [the Wall of Pride] might turn into people just flaunting their strengths,” Shuster said.

Daynard disagrees with such sentiments, “South students so often judge themselves by what they ‘haven’t’ done or have ‘failed’ to do, yet they’re so talented and have achieved so much,” Daynard said. “It just seemed natural to find a way to celebrate that.”