Every September, after kids have settled into high school for a few weeks, the seniors who are gearing up for graduation gather for the first official ritual: The senior breakfast.
It’s part of a full day of events that begin to tie the loose collection of students into a single entity that teachers can call the graduating class. During the morning breakfast, these kids wait for their turn to get measured for their caps and gowns or have their yearbook picture taken. They also reminiscence, putting on skits that recall some of the more poignant moments of their previous years together.
Although many kids laugh uproariously at the humor, even when it is aimed at them, a great sense of sadness begins to creep onto their faces, as if for the first time they begin to realize what is about to happen to them. Many of these kids have been together since kindergarten. All will likely move on to separate lives in June.
“Senior Day begins with breakfast,” said Student Government Organization President Mike Makarski. “This is a moment when the whole class gets together to remember things. It is a tradition.”
During this breakfast, these kids will each take a piece of a wooden puzzle that has been created just for their class, one piece for each student expected to graduate in June.
“The puzzle symbolizes unity,” Makarski said. “We each take a piece and try to put the puzzle back together again in June when we graduate.”
In all graduating classes since the first in 1977, only one class ever completely put the puzzle together again.
“This class has the academic ability to do it,” said Pat Impreveduto, principal of the high school.
In the beginning
The pieces, too, come together again years later when classmates return from their lives beyond high school for a reunion. But even Makarski seems unable to see that far into the future.
Everything seems too current to think about anything, except what each student must do next: names called for cap and gown, teams struggling to paste up signs for class unity on the walls. Jason Corcoran knows it is a special day, but also said it is too early to feel the urgency of graduation.
“We’re here to hear the skits and remember when,” he said. “But June is still too far away to feel much about it yet.”
Teacher Michael Gehm joked with the kids as his wheel chair rolled around the room.
“This is my second time as class advisor,” he said with mocking misery he didn’t mean, his eyes sparkling with the magic of the moment. “This is a terrific class. They are good at academics and good at sports.”
Gehm, of course, takes credit for this year’s class motto: “the fearless elite.”
“Some kids thought I was crazy when I proposed it, but it’s a great saying,” Gehm said as another couple of kids rushed across the room to put up another poster. The walls were lined with sayings such as “Class of 2004,” or “Fearless Elite” or even foot-high letters spelling out names of class officers and star athletes.
Indeed, the breakfast seemed to show off the social cliques, with athletes parading around in red, white and blue jerseys, and several girls wearing their cheerleader uniforms and carrying pompoms for the pep rally set later in the day. One group of students made their own tied-dyed shirts just for the day, individualizing them with significant names and important dates.
“This is a very diverse class,” Gehm said, looking out over the room full of memories. “They have a lot of talent in a lot of areas from academic to sports. Most of them are very involved through a wide range of programs.”