Senior Karen Parada eagerly arrived at school at 3 a.m. one day in August to paint one of SC’s most traditional standing items: the senior benches.
Despite the lack of sleep, Parada managed to enjoy herself and have a great time.
“Listening to music, being there with my friends and deciding how we were going to paint our table was really fun,” she said.
Next year, however, the class of 2015 and all other classes to come will be trading in the tradition of painted senior benches for new traditions.
Starting next school year, the quad will be losing the senior benches. The entire quad, as well, will undergo construction during the summer of 2014.
When designing the quad about five years ago, Principal Gregory Shelby and then-leadership staff wanted the new quad to meet three requirements: shade, greenery, and seating.
Rather than continuing the long running tradition of senior benches, the quad will introduce a new area of privilege for the seniors called the “Senior Lawn.” This lawn will not include any picnic tables, but will rather be filled with benches that are not attached to a table.
Some students are not sure what to think of the changes.
“I feel like it’s not really even going to be a ‘Senior Lawn’, because I don’t think many seniors are going to want to be on the lawn,” said junior class president Lily Hang.
“During the winter, what if it rains and the lawn becomes muddy?” she added.
Because lunchtime activities are a big part of everyday life at SC, there will be a raised stage made out of cement in the middle of the quad for performers and hosts to stand on.
The new quad will be much safer for students to be in because there will not be much concrete and because there will be better lighting.
According to Shelby, the quad will be planted with more than 30 trees, including maples, crepe myrtles and oak trees.
“It will be so classy looking,” said Shelby.
The quad is set to commence construction the day after graduation next summer, and will be finished by the start of the new 2014-2015 school year.
“When former students look back to their favorite parts of SC, they think back to spending time with their friends in the quad,” said Shelby. “We’re just trying to make it a place that students can say they are proud of.”