As seasons end, whether that be athletics or after-school activities, seniors celebrate their parting moments in many different ways.
The Drama Club offers parting traditions for their seniors to remember their time under the spotlight. For one, after their final show, seniors give their shoes to an underclassmen of their choice. This tradition represents the seniors wanting the receiving underclassmen to have the chance to step up and fill in their shoes.
“When I first stated rehearsals, I had a blast, and it was so much fun. But when I took my final bow, it was different,” Abigail Hunter (12) said. “Giving my shoes down made our musical family a lot closer.”
All of the athletics honor the seniors on the team with Senior Night. Teams invite family and friends to come cheer on senior players one last time before the end of their athletic careers. Many of the teams also give the seniors gifts so they can remember their time in the sport forever.
This year was the first time in two years that the cross country team had graduating seniors. Head Coach Ms. Miranda Santa worked with the boosters to create a basket filled with different running essentials, such as hydration packets. They also gave the seniors picture frames filled with some of their favorite moments from their time in Cross Country.
For both boys and girls soccer, the coaches and boosters honor them with a picture frame that has their individual photo from their senior media day as well as their jersey number. They also honored them with Senior Night on Oct. 6.
Like the soccer seniors, the volleyball seniors this year were celebrated with Senior Night. The team also held a banquet, where they honored their seniors with gift baskets. These baskets held a blanket, a duffle bag filled with treats and a Chick-Fil-A gift card.
Boys Basketball held their senior night on Feb. 3. For the seniors, they were gifted a basketball, which was painted with their name and jersey number.
While in football, the players received their red jersey that they wore during home games with their last name stitched into the back. The coaches and boosters also collected photos from their high school football career and curated a large collage of pictures filled with memories from their time on the team.
At the end of the baseball season, the seniors will be traditionally appreciated with Senior Night as well as an end-of-year banquet. They get a vial where they can keep grass or dirt from their position, which allows them to keep the memories of being a part of the team for the rest of their lives.
“It being my last year, I am feeling a lot of mixed emotions. I am very excited to have been a part of such a great program, but I am also sad to see fourteen years of a sport come to an end,” Colton Blank (12) said. “I do think that having a little keepsake at the end of the season, from the last field I will play on, will be really meaningful to me.”
When seasons come to an end, many activities and sports honor the seniors in several ways. This ensures they will always have lasting memories of their time in their clubs or on their teams.