Three and a half years, or seven semesters, of endless homework and assignments is what each senior has gone through at this point in time. So to break the monotony, some seniors have found a way to catch a break, whether it follows school rules or not, through an annual tradition of Senior Ditch Day.

As the name implies, Senior Ditch Day is where seniors pick a predetermined day to skip their classes and go somewhere to hang out. This year, seniors chose April 1st as the annual ditch day.

The tradition of SCHS seniors skipping a day of school may have started with the movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” said Psychology teacher Krista Keneman. The 1980s comedy film revolves around the life of a high school senior who experiences the adventure of his life when he ditches school with his girlfriend Sloane and best friend Cameron, all while being pursued by Principal Rooney.

Much like Principal Rooney, Principal Gregory Shelby made an attempt to deter students from taking part in the Senior Ditch Day tradition, by leaving an autodial message stating the consequences of skipping school.

“If your absence is not excused, you will get at least a Saturday school,” said Shelby on the autodial message. He also mentioned that SCHS is about enforcing good behavior and that Senior Ditch Day does not represent that. However, the warning did not entirely stop seniors from ditching, as some found a way around the consequences, calling in sick or getting an excused absence.

“I think it is okay to take a day off and call in absent. If your parents are okay with it, then it isn’t a big deal. They know what you are doing,” said a senior student who called in absent on Senior Ditch Day.

Once the seniors set a location where they would meet after ditching, the message spread around quickly. The location was set for Panther Beach, Santa Cruz, where SCHS seniors, as well as students from Milpitas and other schools, showed up.

Some teachers planned important or point-heavy work on Friday as a way to discourage the seniors who skipped, while making class a little more easy for the students who attended.

“If my seniors are here on Senior Ditch Day, I give them an extra credit assignment so that the people who are gone don’t have the opportunity,” said Pietro Costa, Civics teacher.

Many teachers agree, and believe that the tradition is overrated.
“I’m not a big fan of Ditch Day. Kids don’t see the bigger picture and it causes undue stress for teachers,” said Keneman. “It’s not fair for other kids, especially with only one week until a major break.”