Senior Skip Day- A Fun Tradition or a Waste of Time?

By: Khaleeda Dawood

June 1, 2022

Oh, the joys of senior year! Cramming in scholarship essays, working while participating in high school, applying to colleges… the list goes on. But what makes senior year worth it? What memories do seniors have to hold on to while they walk across the stage? One of the many traditions in CCHS is Senior Skip Day.

According to Wikipedia, “Senior Skip Day is a tradition in American schools where students in the senior class skip school. It is commonly held the Monday following Senior Prom or another large event.”

Senior Skip Day has been around since before my dad was in high school, class of ‘87 for reference. It’s been something carried on as a way of being rebellious one last time before high school is over. You and your friends enjoy a little adrenaline rush knowing that you skipped school together. Some go for breakfast and some go on little day trips. But altogether, it’s just a little last “hooray” before graduating and parting ways.

As we all may know, Senior Prom is creeping just around the corner, meaning Senior Skip Day is as well- woohoo, right?

There is certainly fun in skipping school- after all, having the day off is always fun. And it should be; with 180 days of school each year, every day off always feels well deserved and relaxing. However, teachers will often assign work on Skip Day because it is not an official day off, so seniors will eventually have to get caught up on their work. While it may seem fun, you’ll end up doing school work either way, in or outside of school.

To add to the issue, it can be difficult for students to decide what to do on this day and peer pressure plays a role. A lot of students’ social life is dictated by their friends and social groups. If friends are skipping school on Senior Skip Day, there’s a large chance the rest of the group will be too.

While many seniors do not plan on attending school on the day, this is not the case with everyone. Some seniors have sports, important tests/assignments, and other reasons for not skipping school.

I have yet to decide whether I will participate or not; the thought alone of sitting my Middle Eastern parents down and explaining to them the made-up tradition of not coming to school is convincing enough. As unfortunate as it is to miss such a wonderful tradition, there are numerous Senior traditions, and missing out on a couple doesn’t make you a bad person.

Despite the debate of whether Senior Skip Day is an unnecessary absence or not, everyone can agree that throughout their four years of high school, the graduating class has worked hard and should enjoy their senior year. Many seniors feel their last year of high school flying by; however, what makes the senior year so special is creating memories with the peers that you’ve known since kindergarten for the last time. Regardless of the two sides, do what makes your heart happy- it's all that matters at the end of the day.