Every year, the senior students on FHS sports teams are celebrated in a special fashion. There are many ways each sport celebrates their seniors, from posters and gifts to making a tunnel for them to walk through. Senior night has been a tradition for a long time and has gradually evolved into what is now known as a widespread tradition for many high schools. Many seniors have shared their love for the tradition and how fun it is to participate in. Each team has their own special ways to show their senior teammates their love and appreciation.
Despite the different ways teams show their appreciation, there is one thing all the teams have in common: the walk with the parents. The seniors on the team walk down the court or field with their parents and a bouquet of flowers. This tradition is the most popular and favored by the seniors. Senior David Mayfield, a football player and track runner, says his favorite part of senior night was when “we were given flowers and we crossed [the field] with our parents.”
Senior AJ Lamper participates in many sports, including golf, winter and spring track and baseball. He enjoys senior night, saying, “There’s a culture in sports and it’s honoring the people who helped me when I was an underclassman. It kind of just gets repaid when you’re a senior.” The special moment starts as the seniors walk out and their names are called. Lamper stated that it’s “a little moment where everyone’s focus is just on the seniors, which is nice.” Another senior who enjoys senior night is Cole McAndrew. McAndrew has been wrestling for 12 years. “I just thought it was always a cool opportunity to congratulate the seniors on all their hard work for the four years they’ve been wrestling. It’s dedicating the night to their parents and the seniors,” McAndrew stated.
FHS’s field hockey team has their own special way of celebrating. For their seniors, they decorate the field with balloon arches, posters and chalk all over the ground when they walk up to the field. Junior Kirsten Settle says, “I definitely enjoy participating. I think it’s super cool to be able to honor the players who have been putting in a lot of work for several years. It’s just something fun that we’ve always done.” The lowerclassmen also make gifts, which include a specialized gift basket for the seniors to give them on senior night.
Freshman Mekena Sullivan helps set up for the seniors on the cheer team. “It’s so fun setting up senior night because a lot of time we get to personalize gifts for the seniors. We get to make it super special for them and it’s super cute. I love it,” mentions Sullivan. The cheer team also has a little spin on senior night. Sullivan stated that “they always wear personalized sashes and sometimes we’ll make them a little gift basket that’s personalized.”
While there are many traditions that are special to each sport, senior night is a collective tradition that all the sports share. It’s a celebration and a congratulation of the seniors and all their hard work. Assistant Principal Diana Story said that when she started coaching 30 years ago, she did senior night every year for the girls on her volleyball team. Senior night has been a tradition for a long time and while there wasn’t a specific start date it has gradually evolved and is a widespread tradition for many high schools.
