Senior Year Traditions

This concept became super popular on Facebook in 2020 when schools first closed due to the pandemic.

Typically, seniors are adopted by younger students or members of the community and showered with gifts.

★ Read more about setting up the Adopt A Senior idea.

Class rings are a great way to show school spirit and highlight your activities and interests.

Some high schools hold formal ring ceremonies or ring dances, where a graduating class all receives their rings together.

★ Learn more in our complete Guide to High School Class Rings inlcuding our favorite designs to fit any budget.

Decorating lockers is popular in the beginning of the year, during spirit week, for senior night and for graduation.

Students may decorate their own lockers or have them decorated by teammates, friends, or family.

At some schools, friends and family, or the seniors themselves, decorate school parking spaces with chalk or paint.

★ Read our Guide to Decorating Your Senior Parking Space. 

★ Request our Parking Spot Packet & Design Template.

★ Check out our Pinterest board for design ideas!

This may be more of a tradition for senior parents than seniors themselves! It's become popular in recent years to take and post - sometimes alongside kindergarten pictures - First Last Day pictures of seniors on the first day of their senior year.

★ See our our Last First Day Signs and Photo Props like the one pictured here.

A Senior Breakfast can be held in the beginning of the year as a bonding activity and to distribute class schedules.

Or, it can mark a milestone like 100 days until graduation.

At the end of the year, you could throw a Senior Breakfast to announce superlative winners or distribute caps and gowns. So many options!

Another fun tradition often used to kick off senior year!

Students decorate their cars and dress up to parade from a starting location to their high school on the first day of school. Prizes are often awarded for various categories.

★ Check out our Grad Car Parade Ideas page.

A Senior Carnival or Field Day can just be a fun class activity, or it can be an event to raise funds for class activities, a class gift, a scholarship fund or to support a local charity.

★ See our post about high school fundraising for more fundraiser ideas.

Senior Crowns are growing in popularity!  Read our Guide to Senior Crowns. Crowns might be word on the first day of school, during spirit week, and at senior events.

They're often elaborately decorated with a theme, or to represent a student's interests & activities.

Learn more and get decorating ideas here.

At some high schools it's a tradition for the class to give a class gift to the school community. Common ideas include a bench, furniture, signage, sports equipment, landscaping and artwork.

★ See our post about high school fundraising for more fundraiser ideas.

A senior lock-in may be held as a bonding activity or as a safe alternative to after-prom parties. 

Students spend the night at the school under the supervision of chaperones. 

Popular themes include Casino Night, Mardi Gras, Roaring 20s, Hawaiian Luau and Disco.

At Senior Night seniors are recognized and celebrated by their coaches, teammates, teachers, leaders, family and friends. 

★ Read our detailed post about Senior Night ideas and planning a memorable Senior Night!

★ See our favorite Senior Night products.

★ Shop Senior Night Poster Templates in our digital shop.

Senior Pictures refer to both yearbook cap & gown portraits and professional photos. 

★ Read our post Choosing What to Wear for Senior Pictures for outfit ideas for guys & girls. 

★ Check out our Senior Pictures Location Guide for the greater Triangle area of NC

★ Search our local business directory for a photographer in the greater Triangle area.

Senior Pranks are usually carried out at the end of the year as a final farewell to the high school community. Fun and creativity are key, and if you can safely disrupt the school day a little bit at the expense of your teachers, you'll have achieved the primary goal of a senior prank. 

★ Check out this list of actual senior pranks.

Senior Skip Day is pretty self-explanatory. Seniors designate a day in the spring, often the Monday after prom, to skip school and usually go to the beach, an amusement park or a local recreation area to spend the day avoiding school and having fun.

Sleeping outside, on campus is one of the ways that some classes kickoff their senior year. It's an opportunity to bond and truly start the year together.

A "Senior Sleepout" may also refer to an event to raise awareness for the homeless. Seniors choose a night to sleep outside, rain or shine.

It's a common tradition for the senior class to design a senior t-shirt to wear on the first day of school and to other senior events.

The design usually incorporates the year of the graduating class and the class slogan.

As a bookend event to the Senior Sunrise, the senior class may hold a Senior Sunset event toward the end of the year as the "sun sets" on their high school career. 

Some senior classes hold a Senior Sunset at the beginning of the year as a kick-off event, typically with food, games and class bonding activities.

Wake up! A Senior Sunrise is an event where the senior class gathers on campus to watch the sunrise together as a class.

★ Read our Senior Sunrise post for tons of ideas to make your event memorable.

★ Check out the Senior Sunrise Collection in our shop.

There are two versions of the Senior Trip. The first is a school organized trip, usually at the end of the year, just before graduation.

Many graduating seniors plan a fun trip the week after graduation to celebrate with their friends. Popular locations include the beach, lake homes and locations abroad.

Senior Wills are a way to pay tribute to friendships and memories from 4 years of high school. 

Seniors leave objects, experiences and memories to friends, faculty and students in their senior wills.

They may be published in the yearbook, school newspaper, a separate supplement or on social media.

Signing Day refers to the day high school athletes sign their National Letter of Intent to play their sport in college. 

National Signing Day is officially the first Wednesday of February, but schools often hold multiple signing day ceremonies to accommodate all of the athletes who intend to sign an NIL.

Celebrate your senior's graduation with a senior ad in their yearbook. 

★ Read our Guide to Yearbook Ads for High School Seniors for all of the details! 

★ Check out our Yearbook Senior Ad Templates for an easy way to design your own ad. They include multiple ad sizes, and can be customized with a free account at Canva.com.