May 1st is college decision day for high school seniors across the country, and is also the day where seniors can finally wear their university t-shirts to show off where they will be attending next year. It has been a tradition for seniors to proudly wear their t-shirt around the hallways of LFHS on this day, and take photographs and calculate mileages for how far they will be traveling from their best and closest friends. Even LFHS teachers proudly rep their college shirts to let students know the schools they attended. It, over time, has become a special day for the senior class–a day that is filled with taking pictures, talking with classmates, and bonding with teachers. Seniors have been anxiously waiting for this day to show up to soak in all that the hard work has paid off from those applications, essays, ACT/SAT tutoring classes, and endless college visits, all to find the one that fits the best. May 1st is a time we celebrate senior Scouts.

This year, LFHS has decided to make the Emotional Wellness Walk on May 1st as well. LFHS could have picked any day (or so we students think without knowing the intricacies of the school schedule) but they picked May 1st. The walk is a day where students and faculty walk the premises of the high school, clap in the seniors, grab food from food trucks, dance to music, and enjoy a carefree couple of hours on the front lawn, then continue with a regular school day. The Wellness Walk used to be held every few years, but because of the E-day happening every year, which got to be complicated and expensive, the school decided to have the Wellness Walk every year for a replacement.  The Wellness Walk has never been on May 1st, so why this year have they decided to make it on college decision day? The crux of the problem with all of this, you may ask. The Wellness Walk provides t-shirt for students to wear as well. 

I got in touch with Mr. Maher to get the low down on why LFHS made this decison and if there will be another day where faculty and the seniors will wear their shirts. The reason for the scheduling was that AP tests were scheduled a week later this year and Memorial Day weekend was also a week later, which resulted in the scheduling of the walk. They thought May 1st was the best option for the walk’s date. They knew that May 1st was college decision day for seniors and they understand why it is not the most convenient option for the seniors, but they want the seniors to be flexible with this decision that was made, and know that April 30th will be the official LFHS college t-shirt day. LFHS faculty also want to celebrate the senior Scouts and celebrate their college decisions–just a day earlier this year.

As for this year’s walk plans, they are planning on doing things a little differently than years prior. As usual there will be several food trucks, a hot dog stand, a Frost gelato stand, a DJ, and various activities. Instead of the seniors walking out last and anxiously waiting for the clapping in festivities with a stampede awaiting to lineup for the food trucks, they have decided to have the freshman, sophomores, and juniors meet outside the RMA. Seniors will be clapped in and will be the first ones out the door, leading the walk around the school. Seniors will be first in line for the food trucks and have first choice of all the activities that will be held on the front lawn.

 To my fellow seniors, let’s be flexible with their decision. We can still wear our college shirts on the day of the walk if we choose to do so. It’s only seven days until we get to wear our shirts and celebrate us, the seniors, so have your shirts ready for April 30th!