Seniors Look Back and Forward on Transition Day

On Monday, June 6, the class of 2016 had the chance to look back at their high school experience and forward to what is to come at Senior Transition Day, the last class-wide activity before graduation. The day started when seniors met n the High School auditorium for "The College Freshman Experience," a question and answer session with SHS alumni who are college freshmen. The experience was an opportunity for students to gain first hand insights into what it's really like to enter college from Scarsdale High School. The alumni discussed college workload, relationships with professors, and sexual assault on college campuses among other relevant topics. "The presentation gave me a clearer idea of what to expect next year. I'm a little more confident about dealing with all of the new, potentially scary aspects of being a college freshman now" explained senior Madeline Frankel.

After the college freshman presentation, seniors moved to separate classrooms for discussions with their high school deans. Each dean has a group of seniors that they've counseled and consulted with through high school. "It was nice to be in a room with the same group of students that we started our high school experiences with on our first day again" said senior Madeline Frankel. At the separate meetings each dean spoke personally to their small group of students, reiterating the messages in the first presentation. The students also shared memories they had with their deans and the other students. "We're kind of ending high school the same way we started it with the same people," said Jack Dolgin. After conversing about entering college next year, deans prompted everyone to recount and share a fond memory they have from their four years at Scarsdale. Finally, students were given paper and instructed to write an anonymous letter to the teachers that have influenced them the most over the course of their four years at SHS. Those letters were then delivered to the teachers' mailboxes by the deans. The dean meetings were a way for the small groups that have bonded to have a final afternoon together.

Following the dean meetings the students all gathered in the gyms for a lunch and the yearbook ceremony. Parents arranged sandwiches from Giannoni's and assorted baked goods and snacks for students. After students ate the lunch, a stand was set up to pass out everyone's yearbooks. Students sat on the bleachers and signed notes in the yearbooks. "I loved being able to sit with the entire grade and reminisce about our memories together," said Sara Shah. The day was enjoyable for the class of 2016 as they recalled old memories and bonded before graduation.