For one day of Uni’s academic year, the building is mostly devoid of senior class students as they miss school on an annual, unofficial “senior skip” day.
Some students travel to nearby cities; some spend the day at local attractions; others stay at home to enjoy a day off. Organized by classes and completely unaffiliated with the school, senior skip day has become a rite of passage for many Uni students and seniors.
Instead of taking a mental health day or getting an excused absence, participating students should focus on skipping school and facing the consequences of an unexcused absence to take the next steps into adulthood.
At Uni, absences can either be excused or unexcused. Excused absences include mental health days, illnesses, injuries and appointments, among others, while unexcused absences include oversleeping, family visits, personal business and simply skipping. Students may take up to five mental health days per academic year.
If a student earns an unexcused absence, their parents will be contacted, and they will be unable to participate in extracurricular activities for the day. They will not be permitted to turn in any missed classwork, including tests. Student-athletes with an unexcused absence in the past week will also be ineligible to participate in competition for the next seven days, says the Student-Parent Handbook.
While the consequences may be daunting for some, properly skipping class is part of the tradition that defines senior skip day. Missing class with a mental health day or “excused” absence defeats the purpose of even skipping school altogether.
In their earlier years, Uni students rarely ever skip school; it’s not common to miss a class period to go participate in an alternate activity instead.
Senior skip day is a specific tradition reserved for seniors, designed to celebrate one’s last few weeks in school. Because students rarely skip in their subbie, freshman, sophomore, or junior years, being able to miss class and thus embracing the consequences is part of what makes the day so meaningful.
Yes, a student might earn a zero in the gradebook, and they may not be able to retake a test or participate in an athletic competition. Those consequences may carry serious weight for some. But a student can take a mental health day or get an excused absence on any old school day; skipping school without an excuse in association with the rest of the senior class proves faith in a time-honored tradition.
Facing the consequences is part of being a near-graduate senior. So much of senior year is prepping for future plans and adulthood. At a school where many don’t skip as it is, after five years, being able to exercise one’s autonomy and just not show up to class is a big step into a future without handbooks, set rules and attendance policies.
This year, senior skip day was on April 22. My friends and I spent the day walking and driving around town. We also went shopping and got lunch.
When I came home and saw the four unexcused absences and the few “zero” grades in the gradebook, I felt like I had finally earned this next step into adulthood, where I must face the consequences for my choices without a cushion or parent phone call.
