Davis High is known by many as “Dateless Davis.” Girls seem to think this is because guys do not “man-up” and ask girls out, even to the point of feeling that chivalry is dead. Few guys are opinionless about this.

“I think with the whole 20th century ‘women’s independence’ thing [chivalry]’s just kind of died off a little. People have moved on from that,” said sophomore Jake Lueckler. “I think at least a little bit should still be around, but a guy shouldn’t have to go completely out of his way.”

Senior James Barnes disagrees. “Chivalry is going out of your way to show respect and do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do. Without it, respect for everyone would go down. Our society would be rude and inconsiderate, and a worse place to live.”

There are different ideas of what chivalry means, but the general consensus can be summarized by Lueckler. “It’s like treating people with respect and picking up trash, holding doors open or slaying a dragon and stuff.”

To others, the tradition continues beyond medieval days. “[At Davis] we have a good tradition of being nice to each other. It’s important because that’s what makes our school great. Those are the people you want to be around—the ones that show respect and are nice,” said Barnes.

Many may wonder about the motivation behind manners. According to Barnes, “[everyone] always seems super happy and extremely grateful. I’m opening doors and everyone’ll just flash me a smile. It makes me feel good and I know it’s the right thing to do.”

Lueckler said holding doors open usually slips his mind. “It’s not like I rush in front of people. I go through and hold the door open if there’s someone behind me.”

Barnes gave a word to the guys, “Always be ready and willing to help a girl out because they’re way cooler than we are. I notice they appreciate it. We might get to the point where you don’t need recognition. All you need is a smile and a thank you.”

To the girls he said, “Don’t let a guy treat you with disrespect. When we try to be chivalrous, please let us. It makes us want to do more.”