Today the majority of seniors aren’t present at LHS. They aren’t sick – but rather catching up on sleep, at the beach, or any list of places that aren’t Londonderry High School. As most of you already know, the Monday after prom is what has come to be known as “senior skip day.”

Senior skip day is nothing new here at LHS. 12th grade classrooms have been empty on the monday after prom ever since the 1980s – which is around the time senior skip day was born, according to House 4 assistant principal Ms. Sullivan. That means the tradition is almost as old as the building itself.

Contrary to the belief of some students, senior skip day is not a school-sanctioned event.

As Ms. Sullivan puts it, “Admins do not approve of senior skip day. It is not an excused day off.  It’s not a holiday.” She said as far as the administration is concerned, “Senior skip day is a myth.”

To administrators and teachers, it’s just another day, and just another unexcused absence.

That being said, if you won’t be showing up on Monday, you’ll need to follow a few guidelines to minimize the consequences you might receive.

Here’s some advice:

• You do need to call out, just like you would any other unexcused absence.
• Plus since it is unexcused, you’ll need to make sure you have fewer than five absences this quarter to avoid an attendance failure, which could stop you from graduating.
• Also, anyone on a team need to be in school for at least five periods or else he or she will not be able to practice or play in a game that day.
• To those of you on the verge of failing a class: You probably shouldn’t upset their teachers any more while your grade hangs in the balance.  That just isn’t smart.

There’s nothing wrong with biting the bullet and showing up if you must. After all, sports and graduating are more important than a single day.