Small Town News

Its time to rethink the senior all-nighter

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In Our Opinion

The senior all-nighter is viewed by most as a much deserved chance for the graduating class to stay up playing games, eating junk food and winning prizes until the wee hours of the morning after their big day.

Some students see it as a rite of passage, while many parents see it as a way to keep their kids out of trouble.

But while the event has its merits, we see it as something that has run its course and think that maybe it's time to reinvent this age-old tradition into something less.. tiresome.

Consider that on the day of graduation most Cheney High School seniors are up at 6 a.m. to get ready before driving out to the north side of Spokane for a senior breakfast at 7:30. Afterward they come back to town for an 11 a.m. commencement dress rehearsal, likely followed by a full schedule of activities with in-from-out-of-town relatives before the real deal kicks off at 7 p.m.

That night at 9:15, directly following commencement, buses will board for the hour's drive to Triple Play in Hayden, Idaho, where the seniors fill their bellies with unlimited pizza and pop before spending the next six hours with laser tag, bowling, go-carts, bumper boats, a climbing wall,

miniature golf, an arcade and more. Then they're driven back to their cars where they're set free to drive home at 5 a.m.

Remember that this is the culmination of a month filled with finals testing and a week packed with seniors-oriented activities. Also keep in mind the findings of numerous studies that show the average teenager requires more than nine hours of sleep a night before asking if, under these circumstances, a senior all-nighter sounds like the healthiest, safest way to celebrate.

One big thing the all-nighter does well is to break down the barriers between friend groups and blend the cliques into a single cohesive group - seniors - even if it is for just one night. That's why we believe the senior class does need an event that permits them to let their hair down a little and get past any inhibitions that may have dogged them for the past four or more years.

But couldn't something be arranged that allows grads to say goodbye to their classmates and have a good time without making them into zombies? Maybe something that ends earlier, or even an all-nighter that takes place the following day after the grads have had a chance to rest up, and incorporates a doorstep drop-off as an added precaution against accidents.

After all, isn't the underlying point of the all-nighter to ensure kids make it home safe and sound after celebrating their first big milestone?



Copyright 2011 Cheney Free Press, Cheney, Washington. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from SmallTownPapers, Inc.

© 2011 Cheney Free Press Cheney, Washington. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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