As senior year slows down, there’s a certain energy that takes over. Everyone knows graduation is around the corner, but before that, it’s all about the little things we’ve been waiting for, whether it’s Ms.Mercure’s Jar of Memories, senior sunrise, our senior trip to Kalahari, Art Club’s senior ceiling tiles, or even a special video with heartfelt messages from our teachers over the years. It’s in these final moments that our class comes together as one and truly begins to appreciate all the years that we have spent and grown together.
One of the most anticipated traditions is the “Senior Prank,” which in past years has involved harmless fun like filling the principal’s office with balloons and “bad parking” in the student parking lot. While administration ensures that the prank stays school appropriate, they often let the creativity shine through as long as no damage is done.
The Art Club has their own tradition for senior members in Art III or IV. At the end of every school year, the seniors’ last art project is to decorate their own ceiling tile to be displayed in the hallway or art classroom. “Throughout the school year the students think about what they want their ceiling tile to be and what their legacy will be as an art student at Lowellville. They create a sketch and then begin the drawing and painting process. Most students take all 9 weeks while some take 6-7 weeks to complete the project,” Mr. VanKirk says.
If you look up in the high school hallway or Mr. VanKirk’s classroom, you can see ceiling tiles from past senior classes. It is a chance for seniors to get creative and leave their legacy behind after graduation. “The most enjoyable part of the ceiling tile project would be the conversations and process that the seniors and I get to have for the last nine weeks prior to graduation. When I see them in the halls I get to experience those fond memories all over again,” Mr. VanKirk says.
Mr. VanKirk also chaperones the senior trip to Kalahari. He was first asked by the senior advisors Mrs. Streb and Mrs. Firmstone to attend the trip. “It was a great trip!”, he says, “It is another great memory for the seniors and the adults that attend.”
After their last day of school, seniors will attend their senior trip in Kalahari for two days. On this trip they get to room with their friends, enjoy the waterpark and arcade, and have a group dinner with the whole senior class. It is a great way for the seniors to celebrate the end of the year before graduation. “I hope that every event that the seniors attend together brings them closer. Kalahari is a great place to be out of the school atmosphere to have fun together one last time as a senior at Lowellville,” Mr VanKirk says.
Ms. Mercure started the tradition called the “12 Years of Memories Jar.”.In Ms. Mercure’s classroom nearing the end of the year, she leaves a jar that seniors can write down and add memories from their time at Lowellville to. She got this idea after attending a birthday party. “I was at a 60th birthday party, and they had a “60 Years of Memories” jar. It was such a neat concept, so I thought I could switch it out to 12 years and have my seniors take part in this,” she says. The seniors will all gather in her room on the last day to read the memories from the jar. “I always enjoy all the stories and laughter the seniors share on this day,” she says.
In recent years, a new tradition was created by the media class. In 2023 seniors Evan Alfano and Frankie Lellio had an idea to make a tribute video for the senior class, including messages from the teachers they have had throughout the years. Mrs. Kerpsack and Mrs. DeLuca decided to keep this tradition going after the class of 2023 graduated and they now do it for every senior class. They love getting to share the seniors’ memories throughout their time at Lowellville, “It’s also nice to hear what each of the teachers had to say, especially the elementary teachers who have had the students in the past,” Mrs. Kerpsack said.
As graduation gets closer, senior traditions start to feel a little more meaningful. They’re not just things to take up time before the last day, but can be the moments that remind everyone of the memories they’ve shared over the years. These traditions have the ability to bring the class together one last time and are a chance to say goodbye to not only the school, but a place some have known since kindergarten.