About four times each year, nearly one-third of Ward Melville goes missing. The Senior Wall temporarily disappears, and the remaining two-thirds of students are able to actually get to class on time. Outside, empty 7-Eleven bags blow over the senior parking lot, which, for a few hours, remains eerily devoid of cars. Juniors slouch at their desks, daydreaming about how, someday, they too will disappear on these days.  Sophomores become confused as they take notice of the emptier hallways. Worried, they speculate about where the seniors could have disappeared to. “Was it an alien abduction?” they wonder, staring nostalgically at the space where the senior wall once proudly stood.

Ward Melville’s Senior Cut Day tradition is hated by staff and celebrated by students. Teachers sigh in disappointment. After learning of the cut day set to occur this Tuesday, October 11, teachers urged their students to break the tradition. “Come to school!” begged Mr. Gelfer, pointing at a pile of music folders, “We have work to do!”

Some seniors see the cut days as a break from the usual stresses of senior-level classes and college applications. They take trips to the city with their friends, or relax at home. For other students, the cut days result in them missing important school work and club activities. When asked if they were going to be cutting school, some seniors responded by saying that their parents wouldn’t let them. Others said that while they would still be attending school this Tuesday, they would consider taking part in the cut days in the spring, once their work load eased up a bit.

With less than a year left of high school, some seniors see no point in cutting. They don’t want to miss out on their favorite aspects of Ward Melville. “I might cut school in the spring,” said a senior, who wished to remain anonymous, “but I don’t want to cut this Tuesday – it’s Tot Tuesday!” Another senior pointed out that if students miss too many classes, they risk losing credit. With graduation right around the corner, losing course credit would be a nightmare. When almost one-third of students go missing this Tuesday, we will be reminded that the Senior Cut Day tradition remains strong; however, many seniors will be waiting until the spring to actually take part in it.