One Day versus Four Years
Benjamin Wong
Editor-In-Chief
Prom, Grad Night, Graduation– they’re all traditions associated with the Senior year, and a celebration of the end of twelve to thirteen years in the school system. So, what excludes Senior Ditch Day from the pool of “acceptable” traditions.
At first glance, it makes sense. Senior Ditch day is the polar opposite of a school’s purpose. A day of complete separation from school and work that one has to do in order to become a better shaped member of society. It sets up an idea of being able to drop everything for a day — which in the real world is impractical.
But, then again, what is wrong with a day off? One last day of blissful freedom before seniors are pushed into the real world, where they either have jobs or are paying for their higher education. Considering the grand scheme of things, the scale of one day to hundreds spent in a chair, in a classroom, being talked at, is small.
I spent my Senior ditch with my best friend. After breakfast at Val’s, we went to the coast — because both of us are about to be shipped off to colleges that will leave us hundreds of miles from our beloved California coast for four years. It was a chance for us to enjoy something we won’t get to enjoy for a long time. I reconnected with someone I haven’t had a chance to talk to because have no classes together and hardly see each other in our busy lives. After the stress of college apps, the relief of acceptances, and the sorrow of declines; the day off gave me a chance to refresh and reset myself. A refresh and reset needed as I began to face my next challenge: the weight of my college decision.
When a day at school relaxes seniors after the stress and emotion they pour into their futures, then Senior Ditch day is trivial and moot. But in the face of all the stress and anxiety it preserves, then one day out of hundreds is small price to pay.
Eagle Era 