It’s hard to believe that the Class of 2023 had their final day of school on Friday, April 28—a day marked with all sorts of festivities, cheers, and even a few bittersweet tears. Among their final classes, this milestone day honored the seniors in a number of ways.
The morning included a special breakfast orchestrated by the senior parents. Students entered the Steward Family Aquatic Center pool lobby and came upon a table decked out with flags noting the colleges that they would be attending in the fall. After grabbing their respective college flag, they took pictures by an MICDS photo backdrop with big 2023 balloons. They then grabbed breakfast with their friends. Breakfast included a smorgasbord of St. Louis Bread Co. bagels, a yogurt bar, fruit, kolaches from St. Louis Kolache, coffee, juice, and water. Balloons and inspiring quotes adorned the red and green tables as seniors dined with their friends and soaked up their final morning of a regular school day as Rams together. On the way to class, many paused to write thank you notes to the teachers, staff members, and coaches who helped them get to this remarkable day.
Besides being the last day of school for our seniors, it was also College Celebration Day. Students wore t-shirts, sweatshirts, and other swag to show which college they’ll attend after summer. Although some students were still deciding and some were creative by wearing multiple shirts from the colleges, it was a day of reflecting on the MICDS chapter while looking forward to whatever exciting chapter comes next!
It was also easy to spot the seniors since they participated in “Anything but a Backpack” Day where you bring your stuff to school in anything but a backpack. Sleds, cat carriers, mini shopping carts, sloth pillows, portable speakers, kitchen pots—you name it—were fashioned uniquely into school supply carriers on this fun day.
For lunch, seniors headed to the pool lobby again, where they enjoyed a scrumptious, St. Louis-inspired buffet. They ate food from St. Louis Bread Co., Fitz’s Root Beer, toasted ravioli from Flik, Grassi’s pizza and salad, Sugarfire BBQ, and of course, Ted Drewes frozen custard. Again, they had the opportunity to relax with their friends, take photos with Charger the Ram, and write more thank you notes. They also enjoyed petting several Duo Dogs that were visiting campus and playing lawn games on the Upper School campus.
Once classes finished for the day, the entire senior class gathered on the steps of Olson Hall for a large group photo with college apparel on full display. Then, the seniors paraded through campus for the annual Senior Walkthrough, where they made sure to take a lap through Lower, Middle, and Upper School, being cheered on by the JK-11 community, faculty, staff, and some parents. At the end of the walkthrough, the seniors passed the Senior Flag onto the StuCo leaders for the Class of 2024, the new senior class. Many hugs and tears were shared as the seniors celebrated this iconic moment.
To all who made the seniors’ last day special, thank you! A very big CONGRATULATIONS to the Class of 2023!