In the email sent to the community Friday evening, Principal Stacey Riendeau addressed both the postponement of the week and safety concerns. “We are writing to inform you of a situation that occurred today involving threatening communications made by a student toward members of our school community,” said Riendeau in the letter she sent to the community. She continued to say how the Top Gun theme was “Intended to center on the characters’ journey of teamwork and growth, not on promoting militarism or making any statement about current events.”
In an interview with Riendeau, she mentioned that with new dates chosen, they have more after-school activities built into winter spirit week. “The week we’ve chosen gives us the opportunity to honor things we would not have been able to.” With the new dates planned, Riendeau has no security or safety concerns for the school and wants students to know they are safe.
Following the announcement, student reactions were mixed. Several students expressed frustration with the delay. James Kellogg ‘26 said he felt postponing the event was unnecessary. Zack Goldenberg ‘27 added that while certain words can be offensive in some contexts, they should not automatically be banned: “I can see how ice is offensive, but we have to remember it’s just a word used every day. We can’t just stop using it.”
Others felt the delay was justified. Jack Schoepflin ‘26 said he appreciated the school taking time to prevent potential issues, while Macie Wilson ‘26 said, “I understand how people can feel with a class being Ice Man and how it might make people upset or angry.”
With the Heritage student government working hard to provide the best and most inclusive week they can, students are excited to see what’s next.