Second semester settles in and as the weather begins to warm, senioritis steadily develops. The result brings tension between seniors, their parents and the staff of Bethel High School – especially when the topic of Senior Skip Day emerges.

Administrators such as Principal Dr. Patricia Cosentino are familiar with the tradition of Senior Skip Day.

Dr.Cosentino stated, “I think they (seniors) do Senior Skip Day because they feel like its owed to them, that they’re entitled to that. That they worked hard all year and started from Pre-K to Kindergarten to Elementary to Middle School to High School and now this is their time to have a good time and skip out of school to do something fun.”

“I don’t really think students understand the ramifications of it as far as teachers and school,” Dr. Cosentino added. “Teachers really have a strict schedule to stick to and curriculum to follow.” Students end up making more work for themselves because of missing classes, which can affect their grades.

Mrs. Cheryl Hallock, guidance secretary of BHS for seven years guides, assists the student body everyday from arranging class schedules to preparing to mail transcripts to designated colleges. She is also the mother of Stephan Hallock, ’12 and Matt Hallock, ’11 so she knows what to expect for the coming event.

Mrs. Hallock remarked, “Senior Skip Day is a tradition of most high schools in the United States. I think it’s something kids do as a group to be a part of something… it allows kids to come out of their shells and verbalize what they feel.”

“If you’re going to skip, don’t get your parents to call,” Mrs. Hallock added. “Take the consequence instead. It’s Senior Skip Day, not call-your-senior-out day. Just be responsible and don’t do anything malicious.”

Mrs. Melany Davidoski has worked in Bethel High School’s cafeteria for five years. Mrs. Davidoski is the mother of John Davidoski ’12 and three other daughter, all of whom graduated from BHS.

She said, “I grew up in Long Island, New York and we had Senior Skip day there. It’s probably been around for quite some time unofficially.” As a mother, she was well aware of the Senior Skip Day planned on the day of the New York Giants parade.

Mrs. Davidoski admitted, “It’s a way for seniors to get together without all the adults around to ruin things for one last time before they all go to college and gain responsibilities.” She added, “You are all seniors because you have earned the right to be there through hard work and commitment. Of course, you need to weigh the consequences before hand and make sure it is worth it.”

Senior year is a year full of college pressures and scholarship hunting, but breaks in between are deserved too. However, students should know Senior Skip Day is not an official holiday in America and thus, punishments for not upholding attendance responsibilities will be swiftly served by administrators. So seniors, if you are going to skip, don’t whine about the consequences.