A senior vacation to cherish for life
On the morning of April 8, I got to the high school at 3 a.m., much earlier than usual. I was greeted at the cafeteria doors by a teacher holding their co ee. The halls of the school were empty but bright, a tough contrast from the darkness outside. I walked through them to the opposite side of the school, where a classroom was over owing with suitcases and du e bags. Several more teachers sorted through the luggage. A handful of my classmates stood around the room and, even though it was early, excitement was buzzing in the air.
Within a few minutes, we were all loaded onto a school bus and D.C. bound. In the next few hours, we’d check into the airport and board an airplane, some of us for the rst time.
This was just one of many early mornings to come in the next week. That morning, ve teacher chaperones and 24 members of the class of 2022 le for the senior trip to Orlando, Florida.
The senior trip is an annual tradition for Rappahannock County High School. Because we have such a small school system, we are able to travel further and fund bigger trips than other schools. Through bake sales, car washes, donut sales, and more, my class has been fundraising since we entered high school. Although we have raised a lot of money, we also bene ted from the class of 2020, whose senior trip was canceled and returned their airline credit to the school (we’re grateful for the tickets, class of 2020!). Each student who chose to go on the senior trip also had to pay a few hundred dollars to cover other costs.
Our itinerary for Florida included three days at di erent Disney parks and one day at nearby Cocoa Beach. At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, one ride that my classmates and I enjoyed the most was the virtual reality Avatar. I was skeptical at rst, but the ride put us right into the movie, complete with wind, splashes of water from a wave, and drops, twists, and turns. A er the ride, everyone agreed that it was incredible. Although it may sound silly, it was emotional for some of us. One of my classmates said that as she watched the screen, all the stress of senior year melted away and she felt serene.
The reworks at Magic Kingdom had a similar e ect for me. A er a full day of rides, pricey park food, and, of course, ice cream, I loved stopping for a few minutes to watch the show. It reminded
me of the magic Disney movies always held for me when I was a little kid. And, a er the reworks, a group of us rushed to Space Mountain and were the last ones to ride the ride for the night!
As with any amusement park, there were lines — a lot of them! One day, we spent ve hours in line for a Star
Wars themed ride. By the end of that day, we were all irked by any mention of Star Wars. As we stood (or sometimes sat) in those lines, we found ways to pass the time together. We listened to stories from our teachers’ lives, watched Tik Toks, ate food, took
pictures, and played Headbands. Though there were certainly more fun moments from the trip, I’ll remember the lines and how boredom drove us to enjoy the idle moments.
A er ve days in Florida, we arrived back home, most of us burnt from our nal day spent at the beach. For the seniors, it was a new experience to be away from our hometown and families for so long. But it was also a nal hurrah with our classmates. I’m grateful for the opportunity I had to bond more with the kids I’ve grown up with! I know that I’ll cherish the memories I made on the senior trip for the rest of my life.