Senior ABC dress up days- the iconic 26 days leading up to Huntley High School’s last day of school. It is not usual to see students in extravagant costumes, hats, or wigs, taking the designated themes very seriously.
However, the halls look a little different this spring at HHS. Seniors fear missing graduation and upcoming events due to COVID contact tracing so many have decided to complete their year remotely.
Although these final few weeks do not feel quite the same, Raider Nation still finds importance in maintaining tradition.
“Even though Raider Nation doesn’t normally coordinate the senior days, I got some help from my class and Mrs. Mennenoh and then checked them with the rest of Raider Nation who also helped give ideas,” Raider Nation leader Sam Ong said.
According to Ong, Student Council is typically responsible for the Senior Dress-Up days; however, when they didn’t take initiative this year, Raider Nation took it upon themselves to create a calendar and invite all grades to participate due to a lack of students in the building.
@hhsraidernation on Instagram presented the calendar with the dress up days on April 9th, announcing that the dress up days were set to begin on April 12.
“Knowing that most of the seniors had chosen to remain remote, I encouraged Sam to post it as a means to encourage some connection amongst each other and to the school,” English teacher Kate Mennenoh said. “The pandemic has really changed school, and I was just hoping to bring a little fun to the seniors’ final days. Really, life is what we make of it – so why not?”
Although Raider Nation and staff encouraged participation in school and on different social platforms, the outcome was unexpected- and underwhelming.
“The outcome wasn’t great, we had a couple of people dress up every day but it was definitely not the normal atmosphere of the ABC days,” Ong said.
Raider Nation and staff continue to motivate students to participate in the last few ABC days of the school year. Seniors are encouraged to make the most of their last few days of high school by spreading the Raider spirit, whether it be in-person or via Zoom.