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High school graduation week is an amazing time for community celebration, class bonding, and reflection. Each student has had a different set of experiences and journey to get to this point, but there are many collective experiences students share. In sports there is always a special connection between the players on a high school athletic team. There are many great memories of sharing a passion and striving for a common goal.
Being a freshman in high school can be intimidating. Walking the halls on the first day of school is a moment that young children think about, especially during middle school. Students walk in as individuals and over the next four years, develop friendships and bonds with classmates and staff that in many cases will last a lifetime.
Just as the first day of high school seems like an event that will never happen, so too is graduation. Yet here you are, with your classmates, teammates, family, friends and community, ready to walk across the podium and receive your diploma. Congratulations!
The days leading up to graduation are filled with gatherings, ceremonies, and times with friends. Schools often have a variety of events to celebrate seniors.
Prom: This memorable night filled with red carpet ceremonies, food, dance, and fun is usually a few weeks before graduation, but some might have it during the week of graduation.
Senior Banquet: Many schools have a special night at a local restaurant or in the school cafeteria. Seniors gather to receive yearbooks and have a chance to sign these yearbooks. It also is an opportunity to watch a senior yearbook or lip dub created by the AV classes. It is a time to share the memories that have been created during senior year and the entire time in high school. The yearbook and videos are some of the final documentation of the experiences of the graduation class.
Student-athletes are very anxious to see what the sports page looks like. How did you look in the team picture? What players are in the most action photos? How will your season be remembered?
Senior Awards: This is night to acknowledge all the academic, service, and athletic accomplishments. The President’s Award of Academic Excellence and Achievement reward high GPAs and performance on standardized tests. Local scholarships are presented to qualified students. These awards can help a student pay for the ever-rising costs of a college education. It is once again a night where the community gathers to celebrate some amazing individuals. Schools will often provide an opportunity for the students to meet the community members and groups that have honored them with a scholarship.
Senior Field Day: Bouncy houses, slip and slides, dunk tanks, cornhole, hotdogs, hamburgers, and nice weather. These are the makings of a great field day. There are lots of different ways for schools to celebrate a senior day. No matter how a school chooses to organize the day, it is one of the last opportunities for the students to get together with classmates and a few teachers in a fun environment. It can be so much fun if there is a high rate of participation.
Elementary School Visits: What a great opportunity to remember your roots. Students return to the school where it all began. It can be an emotional day for all involved – high school students, elementary school staff, parents, and elementary school students.
Students can remember the activities that were so important to them during elementary school. They will see a few teachers that had a big impact on them. They can view the final products of artwork, essays, and other assignments that decorate the halls. It might bring back a memory of a particular assignment that they took particular pride in completing.
It can be meaningful for the graduates to look into the eyes of the young students to see how impressed they are to be visited by the big, high school seniors. Some students may have been regular fans at your home games. Perhaps, they have your program in their room as motivation to be part of the high school team that you were a captain of. These youngsters look up to the students as if they are gods and goddesses. There may be familiar faces in the halls – younger siblings, neighbors, players who attended summer camps where you worked – that will be excited to give you a fist bump or high five. It is a good opportunity for student to reflect on the many different stages of life and recognize how much they have grown over the years.
The senior walk through is a way to pass the torch from one generation of students to the next. The seniors can serve as an inspiration to these young students. It is also a chance to look forward to the new opportunities that the next stage of life will present.
Graduation Week can be a whirlwind. Enjoy every opportunity to celebrate with your classmates this special time. Do not worry about basketball workouts. Do not worry about getting to the gym. Do not worry about getting shots up. Remember, there will be many other opportunities to work on your game over the next several weeks and months.
This time is very busy and chaotic, but it could be some of the best weeks of your young life. Soak it all in. Enjoy your family and friends. And thank the people who have helped you get to graduation day.