Every year in late August, students gather around for two activities: one to say hello to their new school and one to ring in their last year. The freshman and senior picnic both hold lots of importance to the students participating in them. Music, dancing and even some delicious food can be found at these events that attract students from both grades to come and celebrate the new school year.
The freshman picnic is an essential step for rising ninth graders who are looking for the classic high school experience. At the picnic, there are booths set up all along the front parking lot promoting the 100 clubs offered at WJ, all of them hoping to recruit some new members.
“My favorite part of the freshman picnic was definitely getting to meet new people,” freshman Noelle Krupinski said. “But it also felt crowded and there wasn’t a lot of space. Next year they should move it to a bigger area.”
There were performances from junior varsity cheerleaders, Poms and the Asian Dance club to get everyone excited for the new year. Class officers also talked to lots of new students and families about the upcoming four years of school.
“The freshman picnic was fun, I met a lot of new faces and could feel the energy that they bring to WJ,” senior SGA Secretary Katie May said.
May ran the SGA booth, where students and parents could get a chance to meet the new class officers.
The senior picnic, an annual tradition, was enjoyed by many students after the long summer break. Seniors could enjoy hamburgers and hotdogs, go down a waterslide and paint their name on the athletic shed. Music was played over large speakers and many students danced around while waiting their turn to paint the shed. Seniors wrote their names and even inside jokes with friends on the shed. Overall, students were laughing and catching up with friends who they hadn’t seen over the summer.
“I thought the senior picnic was a great way to get everyone together before school started. I was excited to paint the shed because it’s such an important WJ tradition and it really made me ready to start senior year,” May said.
However, some students were frustrated with the way the event was organized. The senior picnic started three hours earlier than originally planned which left lots of people frazzled. Swimsuits had also not been emphasized for the waterslide and many people felt as though they wasted a fun opportunity.
“To make it better next year, they should have a bouncy house so that everyone could do something fun, even if they forgot a swimsuit,” senior Brian O’Donnell suggested. “Overall though, I thought it was pretty fun and a great start to senior year,”
Although both seniors and freshmen agree that there could be changes to picnics in the future, families and students enjoy the picnics every year. Seniors get to make one of their final marks on WJ, while hanging out and doing fun activities.