Making the Most of Senior Week

As the 2017 school year nears its end, seniors at La Salle Academy are living out their final days in high school. Although this is a time of hard work and important decisions, and is often stressful, it is also a time to honor the seniors for all they have accomplished. It’s a time for seniors to celebrate their last four years together; to smile about the good times, laugh at the bad times, and help prepare each other for the next phase of life.

The faculty at La Salle have made it a priority of theirs to ensure the seniors can enjoy this time. Every year in the last of week of May and first week of June, there are a series of events planned for the departing class. This year’s events include the Senior Banquet, the yearbook signing on May 31st, and prom on June 2nd at Gurney's Newport Resort & Marina on Goat Island. “Senior Week” as it is known concludes with graduation at PPAC on Thursday June 8th.

Senior Week is a time filled with opportunities for great emotion. But it is possible to go through Senior Week without fully embracing the experience. Some seniors from previous graduating classes offered their advice on how to make the most of the Senior Week experience.

Jackson Orton, a graduate of the class of 2016 who is currently finishing up his first year at URI, had this to say, “Attend all the events, you’re not “too cool” to go. And just enjoy all the experiences with your classmates and teachers, La Salle is a special place filled with special people… you’ll miss it when it’s all over.”

Rachel Bernardo, a freshman at College of Charleston and also a member of the class of 2016, said that Senior Week was a time when she began to “appreciate all the things La Salle has been providing for us during our entire high school career.”

Emma Orton, class of 2014 and now a junior at URI, said to “make sure you talk to the people you aren’t likely to see after graduation” and “dress nice because everyone is always taking pictures”.

Jon Tondreau, class of 2016 and now finishing his freshman year at Clemson University, said, “It probably seems like a chore to go to these class events but I promise you will miss each and every face in your class whether you were close to them or not… don’t rush through it to get to summertime.”

Senior Week will be one of the most memorable times at La Salle for graduating seniors. During this time, it is important to live in the moment and soak up everything that’s going on. No matter where former students end up, they almost always wish they could return to La Salle, just for one week, just for one day. And they often do. During every college vacation, former students flock to 612 Academy Ave, flood the hallways, interrupt classes, reacquaint themselves with the school that they called home for four years at one point. Soon the class of 2017 will join this population. But for now seniors must heed the advice of those who came before them, and make the most of their Senior Week.