The senior class of ‘22 has had an interesting high school experience. This year, being back in person together, Senior Day organizers Lindsay Schneider and Christopher Eklund hope to make the celebration extra special.

“We want to have a day that calls out seniors in a special way and makes them feel honored and celebrated,” Schneider said.

Some students are wondering: what is Senior Day all about?

Senior Day, on Dec. 10, is all about gathering the senior class and working through some of the more logistical and technical details of everything in preparation for graduation. Firstly, seniors will receive a free Chick-Fil-A breakfast that morning. Schneider and Eklund have prepared four stations for this year’s seniors, all checking off a box on the pre-graduation checklist. These stations include taking cap and gown pictures, making sure that names have been recorded and submitted to Canvas, work on the senior service project and a presentation by guidance counselor Sean Sandag on life after high school. After groups of students have gone through all the “stations,” the senior class will head out to the football stadium to take a big class picture. After all the business is taken care of, the real fun begins.

A new addition to Senior Day this year, is the first fall festival in school history. The festival begins just after the senior class photo is taken and will be fun filled with games and activities.

“We have a really neat karaoke set-up, a really cool photo booth set-up, we are hoping to do tie-dye, lots of festival type games like cornhole and can-jam,” Schneider said.

Students are encouraged to attend but are not required.

“We know that, particularly the class of 2022, has not gotten a lot of on-campus opportunities and ways to just be together, and that is our hope for the fall festival… that [seniors] have had a tough four years and this can be a small way to bring [seniors] together and just enjoy being at West, which all of us wanted so badly last year,” Schneider said.

Many seniors have also been wondering: what is the senior fee?

The senior fee is a payment of $25 that must be paid online or with cash or check to the office before Dec. 10. It helps to cover the cost of a graduation venue, speaker system and senior service project. Despite this extra cost, West has the lowest senior fee out of all the high schools in the county.

The practice of the senior service project, rather than a class gift, was introduced by Schneider and Eklund in 2019. The pair had worked together as graduation coordinators long enough that they felt it become their own.

“When we were thinking about what was most important for graduates to know as they prepare to leave high school, it was this idea of how do you give back to your community and stay engaged,” Schneider said.

This year’s senior class service project will be collecting and packaging food for the Meals 4 Morgan backpack program.

“We think one of the most important things you can give back is not an item at this school, but something that helps our community,” Schneider said.

Seniors will help to pack bags of food for Morgan Elementary students to take home over the holidays on Senior Day.
Seniors are expected to wear nice clothing, mostly so that administrators can help students who may need it receive the proper dress for graduation. Those choosing to wear pants must wear black dress pants and a button-down shirt with dress shoes. Those choosing to wear a dress or skirt are to wear one that meets dress code requirements and shoes that have an enclosed heel or back strap.

Senior Day is a big milestone for seniors- It’s a time when the graduating class realizes how close they are to completing this time of their lives.

“The moment [seniors] put on caps and gowns for the first time and see it click that you are almost there is really special,” Schneider said.

With the first semester almost over, seniors have only about six months until they walk across the stage at graduation. This is their year and their time to celebrate all they have accomplished, both in school and all that they have done in the community. Class of ‘22, it’s time to show up and show out and get ready for a day that’s all about you.