It is May 29, 2016, and seniors fill the Quad beyond capacity as they prepare to count down their final moments of high school. Music blares from the speakers, and as the clock hits 3 p.m., the Class of 2016 cheers in unison as they rush to the Copses Family Pool for their senior pool jump. Ian Watts ’16 stands on the edge of the pool, watching his classmates come together one last time. Clothes and all, the seniors jump into the pool, celebrating the completion of their high school careers together. Watts said he felt more connected to his grade during his senior year because of the many opportunities for grade-wide events.
“These types of traditions bring unity to seniors because you all just had a shared experience together,” Watts said. “You can just trust somebody more, and you feel a deeper sense of connection. You also just have more to talk about with them, and it puts you in situations with other people that you otherwise wouldn’t have been in. It’s a very valuable experience.”
Traditions can provide space to connect, relax and reflect, which helps to relieve the pressure of daily life, according to Psychology Today. Dennett Stibel ’25 said she helped plan Senior Sunset, a new tradition where seniors gather at the beach before the school year begins. Stibel said participating in events as a grade helps foster community bonding before graduating.
“[The traditions are] such unifying events that allow people to feel like they’re part of a community in their grade,” Stibel said. “Having senior-only events is really nice because you all went through this really intense academic experience with each other, and that’s a really big thing to share. It’s great to be able to bond over something that isn’t just academic hardship, though, so having these events is super important.”
Stibel said she has formed new relationships with classmates she had not previously known prior to her senior year.
“Senior year especially is a time where so many seniors from different friend groups are put together in situations that they wouldn’t normally be in,” Stibel said. “We get a chance to mix with each other, and the dynamics really shift. It was really cool to see that begin during the Senior Sunset because it was something I helped make happen. That was the beginning of that mixing, and it carried on throughout the year. I spoke to a lot of people that I hadn’t really talked to during the past three years, and we’re super close now.”
During the final months of senior year, students typically enjoy a decreased academic workload and the end of college application uncertainty, allowing them to further bond with classmates. High school seniors frequently feel bittersweet about leaving high school, which can intensify their desire to strengthen their relationships before graduation, according to Psychology Today.
Senior Prefect Rex Grube ’25 said he helped plan events for seniors throughout the year in order to congratulate them on their accomplishments throughout high school and promote strong ties between classmates. Grube said the grade came together during their senior year because they were able to focus less on academic pressures and more on their community.
“We’ve gotten a lot closer as a class over the course of the year,” Grube said. “The college process was a really stressful time for all of us, and I think we came out of it a lot closer because we had just shared a really difficult experience together. Especially now at the end of the year, I think everyone’s grown a lot closer to each other because we’re all much less stressed and able to focus on other things besides purely school.”
Grube said that the intense workload during junior year can make the grade feel more disconnected than in senior year.
“During junior year, everyone is really focused on working hard for their college apps and studying for the SAT or the ACT,” Grube said. “The year is really focused on academics and less focused on friends, and because of that I think the grade feels less close to each other. Since everyone can finally take some time to relax, I think the grade does get a lot closer once college apps are done in senior year.”
Grube said having senior traditions puts emphasis on the closeness of the senior class, and is a nice break from standard school days.
“Most of the time, it can feel like it’s just endless weeks of school where you’re going to your classes, taking tests and quizzes,” Grube said. “When you have [traditions], that’s a change from routine. It’s those sorts of things that make your year memorable and that’s what you look back on. You don’t look back on the string of weeks that you had to go to school where nothing really happened. You look back on the massive water gun fight on the Quad or jumping into the pool. It helps to reduce a lot of the stress we feel.”
47% of students report that stress makes attending school more difficult, according to the American Psychological Association. Events and traditions during senior year can offer a break from academic pressure, creating a better environment for classmates to form friendships.
Upper School Dean Sharon Cuseo, who has worked at the school for over 30 years, said she observes how dynamics between seniors evolve throughout their final year. Cuseo said that she has seen the college process create animosity between classmates that then eases at the end of senior year.
“Unfortunately, college does seem to be a topic that creates division within a grade,” Cuseo said. “You start to become tense and you look at [your classmates] and think, ‘I don’t want them to apply to the same school I’m applying to. This is my school, you don’t get to apply here.’ I wish that wasn’t the case, but once that sorts itself out, then I think people start to see their classmates as fellow travelers on the road of high school instead of as competitors.”
Cuseo said that events like the senior ring ceremony can help to facilitate unity because they help students step away from the competition mindset and look more broadly at their high school experience.
“The senior ring ceremony is a uniquely positive day,” Cuseo said. “I don’t think anybody’s thinking anything other than how nice it is to all be there together. They start to get a glimpse of what they will look like at the end of the year. We always talk about Ring Ceremony and graduation as bookends because they both happen on the field, and there’s a similar vibe. That tradition can remind people that you’re going to be graduates together, and I also like the message of the ring ceremony because you’re being invested with leadership and responsibility.”
Watts said that participating in events and traditions with his classmates in his last year before graduating helped him to cherish his time at the school and come to terms with graduating.
“It helps the mind have a sense of moving on and creating a concrete transition point,” Watts said. “That is why traditions are so popular at [the school] and in so many aspects of life. They are valuable and help in transitioning to a new phase of life. It was just a great moment to both be appreciative and move on.”
