With the removal of old sports pictures in the hallways and the promise of technology to replace them, many students are concerned with the break in traditional photos.

Players and coaches alike have expressed their dislike of the idea. However, many were not fully aware of what was happening with the pictures and only had rumors as their main source of information.

After having access to the facts, it is clear that there are heavy pros and cons to the new initiative.

By replacing all of the frames that held old pictures, now every picture will have the same frame which will make the walls look more organized.

Using technology to replace old frames is undeniably the least expensive route while still honoring former athletes.

After taking down the old pictures, the frames will be donated to Club Green, meaning that they will be put to a much better use.

We do not currently know what role technology will play, but the idea behind the addition is that it will give the students that were hidden at the top of the walls a chance to be highlighted up front for all to see.

But technology does take away some of the former appeal of framed pictures.

Eventually the walls will be filled again with the photos of current athletic achievers and technology to acknowledge the older ones, but we can not overlook that right now the walls are bare.

It is understandable that the transition takes time, but currently all of the schools and former students that come into our building only see naked walls absent of recognition.

While having frames that did not match could at times appear to be unorganized, the older frames in a way did give the older pictures a sort of vintage look that added to the idea that Wildcats have succeeded in sports for decades before us.

When a student had their picture up on the wall, they could have the mentality that the spot was theirs and that their legacy as a Wildcat could be remembered. They could come back many years later and know exactly where to look for their high school memories as an athlete.

Even though they will still be acknowledged through technology, there is a loss of meaning when it comes to having their own spot reserved on the wall.

The new way of acknowledging past students through technology rather than stacking them up until every wall is covered helps relieve clutter, but to new Wildcats and students visiting from other schools, the clutter just represents the endless amount of athletic stars West Chicago has seen.

We must emphasize however that since the details of what role technology will come to play are still vague, there is opportunity for the idea to be a success and well received with students.

While there is doubt now, there is plenty of time for changes to be made so that we and the student body can be pleasantly surprised by the coming change in tradition of framed pictures.