Matis Goldberg
On Friday, May 30, many senior classes were empty as the annual Senior Ditch Day/Bonfire Event took place. A tradition across schools everywhere, this event is a designated day where the senior class collectively decides to either leave school early or skip the entire day. As this event is student-led, it is up to the senior class to get the word out to their classmates. Once the news is widespread, some teachers recognize this day as one where they simply cannot teach, as very few students would be in attendance.
There was some confusion surrounding the event this year, as there seemed to be two different dates and nobody was sure which one was correct. There were some people saying that it was on Tuesday, May 27, and others saying it was on Friday, May 30. Ultimately, it seemed like more students chose the Friday event, as it offered a three day weekend and no school the following day. It also served as a celebration at the end of the week, which was much more appreciated than one in the middle of the week.
On this year’s senior ditch day, many students met up at Dockweiler beach as the sun set for a celebratory bonfire to culminate their high school career. There was music, games, food, and everyone had a good time. At Dockweiler beach, I interviewed two seniors who would like to remain anonymous.
MG: How did you know about this event?
Anonymous 1: “I just heard about it from my friends. Someone told them and then they told me and then everyone knew.”
Anonymous 2: “The people running the event told me and told me to tell everyone. Everyone seemed to already know about it before I told them though.”
MG: There were some people saying it was on Tuesday and some people saying it was today. Why’d you choose to come today instead of Tuesday?
Anonymous 1: “I mean I’d rather be here on Friday than on a Tuesday. I’m so glad we don’t have to go to school tomorrow.”
Anonymous 2: “All of my friends were coming to this one and it didn’t sound like anyone was going on Tuesday.”
MG: What did you do during the day leading up to this?
Anonymous 1: “I just slept in and then got lunch with my friends, then we came here.”
Anonymous 2: “I had to go to school for a second because I had a presentation in the morning but then I signed out and met up with my friends.”
MG: Did your teachers know about this event?
Anonymous 1: “They said that we weren’t supposed to ditch but they couldn’t really teach because nobody was there. Some people were saying we’d get (campus cleanup) hours for this but I don’t know if that’s true.”
Anonymous 2: “They knew but they said I still had to be there to present.”
Following this event, students have been curious as to if, when, and where the next event will be. Many students have asked the Ditch Day organizers to plan another event in the near future.