During the annual senior retreat before spring break, seniors enjoy a day-long vacation to celebrate their last semester together. In the past, seniors have taken overnight trips to places like Camp Allen, but this year they spent the entire day in Houston with childhood-themed activities such as roller skating and playing arcade games.

10. Anticipating: We only have two days of school in the week!

Senior Fun Day means no regularly scheduled academic classes. After a stress- and assignment-free day, we had Tuesday off for parent-teacher conferences. With only Wednesday and Thursday left, this week has been a perfect transition into spring break.  

9. Eating Breakfast Klub on the Bayou

Seniors first headed to the Breakfast Klub at Buffalo Bayou in downtown Houston. The Breakfast Klub is known for their famous chicken and waffles (and really long lines). Because the food was catered, seniors didn’t have to wait in those pesky lines and were able to eat while enjoying a beautiful view of the bayou and downtown Houston.  

8. Playing Pac-Man

Who doesn’t love playing video games without the hassle of buying tokens? At JoyStix, seniors were able to run free and play any machine in the arcade. Whether we were shooting missiles, driving race cars, or playing Guitar Hero, seniors enjoyed the wide variety of video games. Of course, games got super competitive, especially when the teachers played along.

7. Watching people (fall) while roller skating.

Okay, I’m just gonna say it. It’s funny when someone falls. When the seniors went roller skating, I couldn’t help but laugh every time I saw a classmate take a spill. Some students gracefully glided over the roller rink while others had never skated before and had to give a great effort. Regardless of experience level, I saw nearly everyone trip over at least once. I’m not the only one; I even saw Ms. DiPaolo laughing when Cade Luedde fell.

6. Seeing the beautiful view from the Raven Tower

In the afternoon, seniors took a trip to see the construction of White Oak Music Hall, which will be opening in April for concerts and other events. We then climbed up what seemed like hundreds of stairs, finally making our way to the top of the Raven Tower. From there we had a 360-degree view of Houston, including the beautiful downtown skyline.

5. Getting messy with Smoosh ice cream sandwiches

After snagging some pictures from the top of the music tower, we went downstairs to be surprised with Smoosh ice cream. Smoosh serves near-perfect ice cream sandwiches, and each senior had the opportunity to enjoy their delicious treats. Personally, go for the chocolate chip cookies and peanut butter fudge ice cream unless you don’t want to stain your shirt.

4. Playing laser tag on in the plaza

The Plaza was redesigned into a maze complete with laser tag obstacles, walls and hiding corners. Equipped with four-and-a-half pound guns, seniors grouped in teams of 20 and battled it out. Things got pretty intense, and the girls’ team beat the boys a couple of times.

3. Opening letters from our parents

After dinner, Ms. Inman told us to prepare ourselves emotionally because our parents had written us letters about leaving high school. Ms. Inman also warned us that tears would flow, and they most certainly did. Reading these letters was a bittersweet moment; we knew that while our parents will always be there for our support, leaving them will be a main part of our college transition.

2. Showing off my moves at the dance party on the quad (courtesy of DJ Shebib).

To conclude Senior Day, we gathered on the quad, lit up some glow sticks and danced to some great music provided by the talented DJ Daniel Shebib. Having the dance party on the quad was the perfect spot to wrap up the night and remind us seniors to enjoy our last couple of months at St. John’s.

1. Reflecting: I got more time to genuinely be in the moment with my friends, something that is extremely valuable when our time together is ticking down by the minute.

Among all the fun we had during our twelve-hour excursion, what I’m going to remember most is simply seeing the smiles on my classmates’ faces. In a few months, I won’t see these people all the time. Taking just one day to have fun in a non-classroom environment was not only awesome but necessary. These next couple of months are going to fly by. Seniors, seize the moment and enjoy the time you have left with your classmates.

Thank you so much to SAC, the administrators, DJ Shebib and all who made this day possible and a huge success.