As the school year comes to a close, we draw nearer to one of my favorite NDP traditions, the Senior Send Off, where our beloved seniors ride away. Yes, ride away. This tradition is kept under wraps since it is supposed to be a surprise, but I have decided to leak the special ceremony that one of my senior friends told me about; it is just too exciting to keep it a secret!

Now, allow me to explain the Senior Send Off. Every year, after the seniors receive their roses and leave their high school years behind, they change into white riding boots and find their assigned horse. Horses all have the students’ names on each of their saddles, and each horse was carefully chosen to match the personality of each member of the senior class. Anyways, once all the seniors are ready to be sent off, the designated Send-Off-er plays the Send Off alarm. Yes, you heard me! Send-Off-er. Each year, the senior class chooses a teacher to send them off; someone the class holds near and dear to their hearts. The seniors come together and vote on who sends them off in the start of May just before final exams, and I am so excited to see what lucky teacher will be able to send them on their way this year! Since this ceremony is supposed to be a surprise (although horses are very hard to hide), only the seniors’ teachers and families get to see the seniors off on their way. It is a very intimate ceremony that I cannot wait to experience riding off into Hampton Lane with my sisters! It does cause a bit of a traffic jam though.

I have absolutely loved getting to know the Class of 2022 and have known some of the students since NDP Middle Level. I grew up with you Class of 2022, and I have you to thank for the person I am today. Goodbyes are difficult, but I know life will take you all great places, farther than any horse can.