Seniors say goodbye with a carnival

in Features by

This article was written by Angela Lin, class of 2019.

When seniors reminisce, they may remember the stress of senior year, but memories of the last day of school are filled with rides and friends. The outgoing seniors attended a carnival in the back field May 12 from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. as a celebration of their last day of school.

The tradition of the senior carnival, an idea of Dean Nolle and upper school principal Mrs. Elise Blum, began four years ago. The idea came in the face of a growing trend of seniors trying to see how early they could get suspended from campus before their last days of school; these events left Dean Nolle and Mrs. Blum to pitch their carnival idea to Mr. and Dr. Laurie.

“It was really sad because a lot of kids didn’t want to get kicked off of campus; they wanted to say goodbye to their teachers and friends, and the teachers wanted to say goodbye to the kids. It was such a negative way to end school,” Mrs. Blum said.

The senior carnival incentivizes students to behave during their last weeks of school in order to enjoy their last day with friends and teachers at the senior carnival.

The carnival was filled with rides and activities, such as bungee jumping and obstacle courses, and carnival foods such as funnel cake and snow cones were available. Students had the opportunity to dunk several of their teachers, including Mr. Jonathan Pedrone and Mrs. Melissa Santiago, by throwing a ball at a target. The carnival ended with students being hosed off by firefighters.

“The carnival was such an incredible experience, and I loved having an amazing last day with everyone in my class, but it’s time to graduate,” said senior Carlos Rodriguez.