Senior Traditions
Photographer: Cela Cashel
As long as the Class of 2019 has been at Nerinx, they have been excitedly awaiting senior year. The opportunity to be the leaders of the school, anchor the morning show, and participate in countless other senior traditions have enticed them. A month into the year, this year’s class has already gotten a taste of the year to come, and one question begs to be asked: have the traditions lived up to expectations?
The answer is yes. Most seniors agree that the long-standing senior traditions like sitting at the couch in the front lobby and Hey Day with its following beanie week are essential to making senior year at Nerinx special. Experiencing Beanie Week festivities as a senior had been highly anticipated by Brianna Chandler for the past two years, and it definitely lived up to her expectations. “All the frosh I caught were super sweet,” she noted, “I took pictures with all of them, you know, for the memories.” They all followed through with the Beanie Week promise and brought her delicious baked goods the next day. Fellow senior, Cela Cashel’s week definitely lived up to the hype as well. She emphasized how willing and excited the frosh were to join in on the fun; when she realized on Thursday morning that she hadn’t caught any frosh out of their beanies, yet, a girl who overheard her talking in the hallway stuck out her arm and let Cela sign her locker number.
Several seniors were upset about Beanie Week being cut short this year, but STUCO helped explain the shortened schedule. Students and administration had expressed a desire to start a new tradition at the end of Beanie Week, one where frosh and seniors had time to celebrate together with donuts and music, which would not have been possible without changing the schedule. Brianna, along with many other seniors, thought that this end-of-week celebration was a good idea and a success; she did add, though, that she hopes that in the coming years it will be able to continue without sacrificing a day of seeking out some baked goods.
Dr. Grumich shared that from an administrative perspective, the changes for this year were meant to bring a more friendly and welcoming spirit to Beanie Week. “It’s important to look at what we do at Nerinx, see if it’s working and how we can make it better,” Dr. Grumich says. Especially with traditions as important and deep-rooted as the beanie, she wants to make sure that the spirit of the week is the best it can be.
The members of the Class of 2019 have been happy with how they’ve gotten to participate in the senior traditions at Nerinx. They’re excited to share the same experiences as classes before them and hope that future classes will get to experience that same fun. And with most of the year still ahead of them, there is more excitement than ever to come.
