On his first day of freshman year, Senior class Co-Vice President Tyler Jeffares’ first impression of the Senior class stayed with him throughout the rest of high school. “The first day of school there was a group of seniors in the hall yelling, and they had this big bed sheet and wrapped this kid in it,” Jeffares said.

Although that was a one time thing, it was memorable for everyone. The unfortunate student that endured the wrapping of the bed sheet was a fellow classmate of Jeffares, and this was done as an act of superiority. “Seniors have to intimidate the freshmen,” he said. “We have to be the big, bad seniors.”

While the pranks vary year to year, and Freshmen Friday is more of a high school legend, taking part in the senior traditions, like painting up for football games and dressing up in the different Homecoming week themes, were what Jeffares looked forward to the most leading up to his senior year.

The most common tradition seniors at the Mill look forward to is wearing their senior shirts. These black shirts have their graduating year and a personalized name on the back in white lettering.

The Junior class order these shirts at the end of the year, and on the first day without seniors in the school, everyone wears their own. During the days leading up to school, seniors rally in the student parking lot to decorate parking spaces to show everyone their seniority starting the very first day.   

Jeffares felt that when one class exits and another one enters, it’s the seniors’ responsibility to fill the shoes of the previous class. He wasn’t the only one that felt that way.

Senior Corey Soper’s freshman year left him with expectations for this year.  “As a freshman, throughout the year, you see seniors doing all this crazy stuff like Homecoming week, and it just entices you to keep the tradition alive,” Soper said.

Soper was prepared to take on the challenge. “Every graduating class has that one defining moment,” he said, “and I want to make some of those memories this year.” He became the president of the student-oriented Tailgate Club, in order to fulfill what Soper thinks is the “big, bad senior” stereotype.

Senior Austin Webb also noticed that Homecoming week presents the opportunity to showcase their spot on the top of the social hierarchy. “Homecoming week is the time when everyone get involved with their class to celebrate, and for the seniors, it’s an opportunity for underclassmen to see who’s the boss,” Webb said.

The seniors have made it a tradition to roll out a red carpet in the cafeteria hallway. This signifies where only seniors are meant to walk on, but this usually can creates tension between the classes because some underclassmen defy this senior privilege.

“Throughout the year while we are doing these traditions, it’s a form of celebration and bringing the whole class together so everyone can get involved,” Webb said. “Plus, there is no harm in doing any of them because everyone gets do it at at one point.”

Senior Co-President Maria Curry agrees with Web that fulfilling senior traditions bring the class together. “I feel like these traditions create a positive culture throughout the school and is also a way of creating unity with your classmates,” Curry said.

Curry said being a class president comes with a lot of responsibility that she first took on junior year. “I was definitely excited going into senior year, but also as co-president I had to be aware and knowledgeable to be able to lead the class with my fellow officers,” Curry said.

Throughout the year, all of seniors will come together with one main end goal: to have the best year possible. “Senior year is a time where we have the opportunity to make legendary memories we will all remember for years,” Jeffares said.