St. Andrew’s has some of the most crazy, yet memorable traditions, ranging from the misspelled “ROWDIE” to the senior baby pictures hung up on the Big A outside of the senior locker areas in the first few days of school.
Traditions make a high school experience memorable and ensure it is one that will never be forgotten.
St.Andrew’s Graduate of 2003 and current Freshmen English teacher Marty Kelly mentioned mentioned the traditions she had in her senior year.
“I polled my friends (Class of 2003),” Kelly said. “And they all agreed on things like going off campus as a senior for lunch (even though for us it was way more difficult because we had no restaurants around here), attending no less than 267 senior parties before you graduate, putting dumb stuff on your car in shoe polish like ‘SENYAS!’ and giving $1 to the Annual Fund to start your giving history.”
There were also traditions in the past that, unfortunately, slowly fizzled out.
“We grew up in a different time when we had things like a senior beach trip and a lock-in at the CPA,” Kelly said. “There’s nothing quite like sleeping on row J in a sleeping bag next to your classmates for a bonding experience (and no, I do not think “they” will let you have a lock-in anymore, sorry).”
Some of the traditions Kelly mentioned are ones that continue today. Current St. Andrew’s senior Ellie Carraway experiences the same type of traditions Kelly did.
“One tradition is getting to leave for lunch; you’re really trusted to leave for lunch and come back in time for our next class.” Carraway said. “Also, at pep rallies, it’s really fun to do the senior walk-out which every senior gets to do so it’s not just cheerleaders and dance team participating in the pep rallies.”
Recent St. Andrew’s graduate of 2019 Bradley Brantley and a few of his friends made sure to fulfill their St. Andrew’s bucket list before graduation.
“I feel things people put on their bucket lists vary, but I’d guess I’d say some things could be playing at rockfest, doing well during their sports season, doing well in school, or graduating,” Brantley said. “Then there are some funnier, not so serious things, such as seeing the ladies room (just seeing what it looked like compared to the men’s room, nothing weird), meeting up at school after hours to play tag. I feel all these reasons are mainly just to have memories. I think students or seniors put ideas on their bucket lists and try to achieve so they will have memories to remember.”
Traditions not only are fun to do, but also allow for great memories. They can make your high school experience unique and one to cherish.
“Traditions not only connect you to the community immediately around you but connect you to those who came before and those who will come after you,” Kelly said. “For me, those connected fibers are the most rewarding thing for me as a teacher who is also an alum. For example, the fact that we still deliberately yell the words at the wrong spot in the cheer and the fact that the Homecoming speech STILL says ‘for making this the best homecoming ever’ makes me smile every time.”
Some things you can do before you graduate to better your high school experience are simple, but make for a great time.
“Before you graduate, make sure to just have fun: Try to go to every sporting event you can, try to at least go to one event per sport. I mean I wasn’t really into basketball games, but they’re actually really fun,” Carraway said. “This year, I got to go to some volleyball games and it’s really important to do that before you go to college. Show school spirit and make sure you go to the pep rallies.”
High school is a one-time experience. You can’t go back and relive these years once you’re in college.
“I think participating in school traditions are important because college is not going to have the same community we have at St. Andrew’s,” Carraway said. “So, it’s important to utilize it while you can and go to the things while they’re more accessible. Because you know more people, you get to have more fun in high school, while you don’t really have to stress about your future as much as you do in college.”
Brantley still reminisces about his high school traditions and how they affected his high school experience.
“I think the traditions and memories help to create a positive outlook on one’s years in high school before graduation,” Brantley said. “They may cause some tears but ultimately memories and traditions help to make high school memorable and truly worth missing as well as enjoying.”