Most freshmen and seniors alike dread Freshman/Senior day. It’s basically an unspoken rule at this point. It’s awkward. We’re separated from our friends and forced to socialize. But wait, don’t try and tell me saying that is against school guidelines, yet.

Although the above is an established, tried-and-true fact, that’s not to say none of us ever reap the benefits of the Freshman/Senior day tradition after all’s said and done. Give me a chance here.

They might come later, but that infamous ILS tradition is one any senior can look back on and feel thoughtful about.

As a freshman, now senior Catalina Lujan shared, “I was really nervous to attend. I didn’t know anyone since only a few people from my middle school went to ILS, and I wasn’t friends with any of them.”

Lujan caught the shared feelings a lot of us had when we were freshmen, and probably similar ones to our freshmen class today. However, after the ice broke and activities and games were played, Lujan concluded by recalling that she, “remembers having a good time anyway. It was a bit awkward, but [she] thought it was a great introduction to how school-spirited ILS is.”

Memories we have of freshman year are hard to come by, but aside from learning about how spirited ILS is, as seniors, freshman/senior day gives us a lot to look back on.

Senior Lorena Alvarez looks back on her experience as a senior on this traditional day by saying, “It was a great time to bond with my classmates and welcome and meet the freshmen. There were so many different activities, and I loved that they made everyone feel included. At first, the freshmen seemed a little intimidated, but once everyone was comfortable, it was a fun time. Looking back on it, it was a great introduction to senior year. ”

Since it’s one of the first special days at the beginning of the school year, it’s true that us seniors take the time to bond with our own class as well as the new freshmen. We take one last look around the gym with everyone in it, and remembering this is one of the last times we’ll be doing so.

It’s one of those times us seniors start feeling old. It’s been four years since we were those tween-age freshmen staring in awe at the quite literally adult (or almost adult) senior class. It gave me, and other seniors, a lot to think about.

Amber-Marie Carpintero, also a senior, said, “It was interesting meeting the freshmen,” because it made her start thinking of how far she’s come and how much she’s grown since then.

During her freshman year, she remembers, “It was intimidating going to high school, but seeing the older kids made it be much less bad.”

Who were we friends with then versus now? How many teachers have come and gone since then? Heck, am I taller now?

I couldn’t help but think of some of these things as the freshmen I met that day told me about how annoying middle school was, their far off career plans, and how happy they were to be getting a fresh start at ILS. There’s just something about being a senior that makes the tradition a lot more surreal.

Catalina Lujan told me about her experience this year, and basically summarized what makes Freshman/Senior day such an important beginning of the school year tradition:

“The games were extremely fun, and I made a strong effort to talk to the freshmen as much as I could. I think that it really does benefit the students to go to Freshman/Senior day, because if you’re lucky with an outgoing and fun group, it’s really easy to get comfortable and accustomed to ILS, as well as meeting some people that could be in your class. It a great introduction to how fun and school spirited ILS is compared to other schools, and a great way to break the ice of being on campus for the first time.”

So, as painstakingly awkward as it could be, Freshman/Senior day is important. It starts the year off right for both freshmen and seniors alike.