Seniors often spend the bulk of their final time in high school stressing about their future and desperately
awaiting their graduation date. While it is important to work towards future goals, seniors should also spend their final moments of high school cherishing the present.
Although there are plenty of well-known traditions practiced to create memories, modern times have given us more ways to celebrate. Combining the traditional and the modern may be the best way yet to finish high school.
Things to Do Before Graduation
The Traditional Ways
Prom
Prom is one of the most famous traditions to date. However, Prom does not have to be the prom you see all over the media. Prom can be whatever you want.
The reason why Prom is such a great way to create memories is that it’s a celebration of the individual. There is so much room for creativity--hair, dress, makeup, etc.
Also, it is an event where you can get together with all your friends and dance the night away. Prom is sometimes seen as controversial because of how costly it tends to be, but it does not have to be this way. There are many different places where you can get more economical attire -- thrift stores, resellers, family members, etc.
Senior Superlatives
Before yearbooks come out, seniors often vote for which classmates fit what specific description the most such as “Best Dressed”, “ Funniest”, “Most Likely to Be President”, etc. These
superlatives are a great way to celebrate our classmates’ specific attributes.
Spirit Weeks
Often, underclassmen are embarrassed to participate in school-sponsored spirit weeks because they are afraid to show school pride. However,
participating in spirit weeks is a must to do before graduation. As seniors, this may be the last chance you have to be a part of your high school events, and you will realize that spirit weeks are fun activities.
The New Ways
Old TV Show Binge!
As kids, a lot of us watched TV shows on channels like Nick and Disney Channel where we watched high schoolers who are the same age as we are now. We watched these characters fight their way through all of the highs and lows of the high school experience, and we all got teary-eyed when they graduated.
Now as seniors, one way of celebrating our milestones could be to
create a playlist of graduation episodes from different series. This kind of full-circle moment is nostalgic enough to create life-long memories for years ahead.
Plushies, Plushies, and More Plushies!
One thing that I did before graduation was a group plushie experience. Since my entire friend group and I are going to different colleges, I wanted to make sure that each of us had something physical that would remind us of our friendship.
In this case, it is plushies. My friend group and I all went to Build-A-Bear and built bears for each other. I will take my plush wherever I go to always keep my friends near me.
Google Slides Night!
My friends and I love doing Google Slides nights to explain the different things going on in our lives. Google Slides is a great way to present a story because it is honestly very fun to present your life.
One thing to do before graduation is a Google Slides year recap where you can present all the important things that happened in your year with your friends.
Themed Dress Up Days
Before the school year ends, one must have themed dress-up days by yourself or with a friend group. For example, my friend group and I are planning on doing multiple themes before the school year ends, like dressing up as our favorite artists, in certain colors, and in each other’s style.
These kinds of days can make your last high school days more fun, more memorable, and more enjoyable.
Time Capsules
The person you were in the past, the person you are in the now, and the person you will be are all distinct people with valuable stories. Before you graduate high school, one thing you should do to commemorate such a significant time is to write letters/take photos to put into a time capsule for your future self to open.
When you are older, it will be a gift to see exactly who you were in the past and how much you have grown.
“I’ll Always Remember You”
“I’ll Always Remember You” is a song from the Miley Cyrus hit show Hannah Montana. The song is a nostalgic tear-jerker about how fast time changes.
For the
viral TikTok trend, seniors use this song in two ways most typically. The first way is for a video where kids reminisce about specific places in the school that they associate memories with, and the second is to reveal the colleges that their classmates are attending.
No matter how you do the trend, it is a fun way to celebrate seniors.
