The Rivalry --- 30 Years Later

The following article was written by a Fairfield Warde student for the school newspaper "The Warden" in January of 2006. Does this sound familiar? Could it have been written 30 years ago? I'd like to know what you think.

By Zara Turner
Fairfield Warde High School
January, 2006


The front entrance to Fairfield Warde High School looks very much like it did 30 years ago when it was called Andrew Warde High School.

So, what's it really like? This is the question that has been the subject of rumor and speculation as Fairfield has opened - actually re-opened - a second high school across town. The Journalism class here thought it would be a good idea to evaluate the rumors about Fairfield Ludlowe. To do this, the news team sent me over to Ludlowe for a day to see what it is actually like over there at the other high school.

But before I go into the comparisons, I should state the perceptions Warde students have about Ludlowe. In speaking with a mix of Warde students, the general feeling is that Ludlowe is the land of the rich and snotty, where the only thing that matters is who has the most money, who has the nicest car, and which girl can perfectly coordinate her many pairs of Uggs with each of her outfits. Warde students also believe the Ludlowe building is ten times nicer. It is the thought that Ludlowe students have everything, from two new gyms, to a nicer senior lounge and cafeteria, not to mention a fully loaded workout room and auditorium.

Jessie Stelmaszek, a junior at Warde, said, "I think that the school itself is probably a lot nicer looking than ours, like the gym is nicer. It's much bigger than our school and there's hardly, if any, construction. As for the people, I think the majority of them have a lot of money and always dress nicely. Also there are probably not as many minorities than there are at our school."

Other beliefs include that Ludlowe has better sports teams and coaches, prettier girls, and student activity clubs that go on more trips. As one student put it, "Ludlowe is like the rich school, and Warde is like poor school."

With this as a backdrop, I stepped onto the Ludlowe campus one day in November to see if the apparently low self-esteem being suffered by Warde was deserved. The first thing a Warde student would notice is that Ludlowe has kind of its own thing going on. It's quiet in the halls - almost solemn at times - in the morning. But there's nothing like coffee in each one of the student's hands to wake them up. After homeroom, though, things finally liven up a bit and the students are up for the school day.

The hallways are filled with friends and couples walking each other to class while keeping focus and trying to have fun at the same time. By lunchtime, large tables of friends are gathered together and relaxing from their classes, talking about absolutely nothing but loving every minute of it. The library and the senior lounge are filled with students who have no problems with either doing their own thing, or being with their friends.

In comparison, Warde seems to have livelier hallways at pretty much all times during the day. Something interesting is always going on. Someone is either getting into trouble, or making a complete fool out of himself. That's what makes the six-hour days interesting. There seems to be such a larger diversity in the school, from the screwballs to the 4.5 G.P.A, AP crazy, honor roll students. A school needs that balance and Warde has it. The halls are always filled with students laughing and always making the most of the five-minute passing time between periods. Even when classes are in session, students are floating around the hallways or the courtyard enjoying their free period.

So, what's the big difference? Not much. Ludlowe and Warde are one in the same. The main difference that I found, was all of the stairs. And for a person who goes to Warde, which is pretty much completely flat, those stairs were a challenge. The facilities are just as nice at Warde as they are at Ludlowe. Yes, Warde does have much more construction right now, but Ludlowe was just under construction about a year ago. When Warde's library, music wing and auditoriums re-open, I bet it will be pretty much the same as Ludlowe's. The cafeteria is just as big, yet has a different layout. The Ludlowe student lounge or "The Perch" is the same and there's a courtyard. The classrooms are just as big at Warde as they are at Ludlowe and each teacher has his own décor and individual way he likes to run the classroom.

As for the students, like both facilities, they're pretty much the same. Yes there are many fashionable, attractive girls with their matching Ugg purses and boots at Ludlowe. Even though many people might not think it, just as many pretty girls in Ugg boots and mini-skirts flock the hallways of Warde. Everyone at each school has their own clique of friends, and these friends intersect with other friends. For the most part everyone is friends or friendly to pretty much everyone else.

Yes, Warde does have more of an ethnic diversity at its school, but it's not like Ludlowe is filled with only white kids. As for the way that people dress, Ludlowe is not completely preppy. There was a huge diversity in the way that people dress, just like at Warde. The students seem to be genuinely nice at both Ludlowe and Warde. When I went over to Ludlowe for a day, they were all very accepting and seemed to be very interested. No one was like, "Ewe, you're from Warde, why don't you go back to that side of town." I honestly expected to face a negative vibe like that, yet I didn't get it once.

So why is there this rivalry? In the midst of being so competitive with one another, and trying to prove which school is better, have we forgotten that we are all from the same town? Have we forgotten that both high schools used to be joined as one in the old Fairfield High School? But, to be truthful, if one were to ask me which high school I would choose, it would be Warde. I have been here for two years and I am comfortable. It's home and there is no place like it.

Fairfield Warde hosts Fairfield Ludlowe in the second renewal of the high school football rivalry this Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, November 23, at 10:30 a.m. Ludlowe won last year's meeting, 20-14. Prior to last year, the teams last met on Thanksgiving Day in 1984, which marked the last-ever football game for the Andrew Warde Crimson Eagles varsity team. The Roger Ludlowe Tigers varsity team played one more year.