Freshmen pledge to graduate
Incoming Pepperell High students follow a tradition making handprints for their Class of 2019 banner.
There were a few wrinkled noses, a lot of laughter and several threats to slap someone on the back as the freshmen at Pepperell High completed a beginning-of-the-year tradition.
For nine years now, each member of the freshman class has spent an afternoon in August smearing black paint on one hand, placing that hand on a piece of paper, signing their name and then using large amounts of soap to remove the paint.
It’s all done in the name of inspiration and memories.
“It’s a pledge,” explained Jeremiah Veillon, director of the freshman academy at the school. “We take these pieces of paper and scan them in, then they are arranged on a banner that will hang in the school for four years.”
Each class banner is designed a little differently, but two things stay the same: they all use Pepperell’s colors of gold, white, red and black and they all must have the pledge.
The banners are unveiled in November ceremonies during which the freshmen pledge to do everything they can to graduate.
They hang in the hallway to the lunchroom, so students can see them every day, Veillon added.
“The day that new banner goes up, all the freshmen go by, trying to find their handprint,” said Veillon. “I don’t think it really hits them fully during freshman year. I think when they start their sophomore year, they see last year’s seniors’ banner gone and suddenly realize, ‘hey, my print will be gone one day.’”
The banner hangs on the stage during their graduation, and then is stored at the school so it can be used during reunions.
“It’s a great cooperative effort between the classes,” Veillon said. “Some of our students put the banner together and then the teachers approve the design and it’s printed.”
Rome Kiwanis Club members help on the handprint day, checking off students’ names to
make sure everyone gets a turn and depositing each print in a safe place to dry.
John Pillsbury, Kiwanis member, has been helping out since the beginning. He said it warms his heart to know some students seek out their handprints every time they walk by.
Veillon said he sees that all the time.
“Every day, someone, usually more than one student, stops by and finds their print or places their hand on it,” he said. “It means a lot to them.”
Getting the proper handprint can be a trial-and-error process.
“This is my fourth year helping with this,” said Haley Gee, a ninth-grade teacher. “Sometimes it is hard to get the print just right. We want to get the whole, clear print. We’ve learned a lot from the past years.”
As for the students, they have a good time with it, but the paint is a bit messy, they admit.
“It’s sort of gross,” said Samantha Guzman, as she washed off her hand. “But it is a big memory for us and we get to see it every day and it is a good reminder of why we are here.”
D.J. Early jokingly said he has a vague feeling of having done it before.
“It feels like I’m a kid in art class, like when we made the turkeys,” he said, as he holds up his palm and laughs.