Fellow seniors, the good news is that H-F has prepared a few events to end off with a bang. The bad news is that reflecting on the year as a whole feels just a little meh.

Let’s start with some good news. 

Our senior week will kick off with Grad Night, which was a new addition implemented by Principal Clinton Alexander last year. It includes our senior class trip to Six Flags Great America on May 11.

Additionally, Bon Voyage, an annual H-F tradition, will take place this year on May 17 from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.

According to Senior Class President Sari Zinnerman, the event will have “food and different types of games, including blow-up obstacle courses, a silent party, and karaoke. At the end of the night, all of the seniors will come together and we’ll watch a video that covers all four years of high school, and we’ll also do senior superlatives.”

On top of raffles and opportunities for people to win prizes, a fun “fairytale-like” surprise is also in the works to take place before the event.

While all of these things are good, the problem is that things could be better.

For example, there could be a spirit day each day of senior week, senior sunset and definitely a pep rally. This is our last hurrah as Vikings, so feeling Viking pride one last day is pivotal.

Instead, our last week feels abbreviated, rushed, abrupt and stressful. 

With a week of festivities not in the cards, we feel less motivated. In fact, it only enhances feelings of senioritis, and who wants that?

Unlike years past, burdens have been added to our schedule, and we feel punished. No senior finals? We get them this year! Cheery pep rally? Nope. We’ll be too busy taking tests. Cookout? Also no. In regards to fun, we’ve gotten the short end of the stick.

I, along with other seniors were anticipating a final spring pep-rally, as it’s nostalgic of Viking pride.

Alexander stated that the reason behind having no spring pep rally was “because the conditions that we set for last year were not met. The paper was still thrown all over the campus, and some of our younger students didn’t behave properly.”

While the behaviors of younger students are normally less than desirable, H-F needs to lean into our cherished paper throwing tradition.

The school should choose a place where we can conduct the throw. The Senior Deck, perhaps?

If all seniors have our final countdown and paper throw at the Senior Deck during the last period, , the papers would all be condensed to one area. This would make the cleanup process a lot easier. Seniors, after throwing the paper, should participate in a new H-F tradition, cleaning up after themselves. Not to mention, the final countdown would be a very fulfilling and emotional memory. 

The throwing of the papers is inevitable, so we might as well embrace it and find innovative solutions for it.

Of course, the decision about senior finals has added the most stress to the end of our high school careers. There’s not much we can do about these plans now, but we can maybe help out future H-F grads. 

As everyone already knows, our last day is May 16.  It is not guaranteed that we will all have our regular final class on the last day. Class attendance will even differ from student to student, as finals are at the teachers’ discretion. This leads to the possibility of some students ending school a lot earlier depending on their schedule. While some students will get to leave early on their last day of high school, others will be doomed to take finals, spending their last hours of high school cramming and taking an exam. Where is the closure in that? 

Doesn’t everything just seem a bit anticlimactic?

But don’t fret just yet, as there might be a way to end this year on a higher note.

Dr. Alexander is willing to hear any suggestions that seniors might have, as he has “an open door policy, especially to my seniors, being the upperclassmen in the building. This is you all’s building, so if you ever have a concern come to me and we can talk about it.” 

Additionally, student government allows students to attend meetings where they can voice their opinions and any new thing they wish to implement.

The clock is ticking, and we’re down to less than two months. If you want a change don’t hesitate to speak up. Let’s make it a great last week to be a Viking!