On May 2, 2025, all members of Poly Prep’s class of 2025 were invited on the annual Senior Trip. This year, students spent the day at Chelsea Piers, where they enjoyed a day of fun and games, including bowling and laser tag, before their graduation and the beginning of college. In a heartfelt way to end the school year for seniors, the trip served as a chance to say their last goodbyes to Poly Prep and begin their new journey.
The day began as a regular Friday, and students attending the trip either met the group at Chelsea Piers or arrived at school and then made their way together. Each student was charged fifty dollars, which included arcade games, hours of bowling, lunch, and laser tag. The Senior Trip has been an annual tradition since 2023, when it was first held at Luna Park. In 2024, the student body voted to hold the trip at Chelsea Piers, and it was such a success that it was held at the same location again this year.
Upper School Math Teacher and main organizer of the trip, Stephen Bates, said that this year the number of students attending increased substantially. “We had more students go this year, the kids were looking forward to it more than last year, it was just a different dynamic,” he said. “Only about 18 kids didn’t go.”
It is not uncommon for schools to offer student bonding experiences and trips, and encouraging relationships among seniors can help them in college and for the rest of their lives. According to the National Library of Medicine, “Peer connections and friendships often result in collaborative learning and the exchange of academic ideas, improving comprehension and retention of course materials, ultimately leading to higher GPAs.”
The buses from Poly left around 9:15 and arrived at Chelsea Piers at 10:00, just in time for the bowling lanes to be opened. Upon arrival, attending students bowled for hours, followed by lunch as a group. “We had everything they could ever want there,” added Bates. This was felt by the seniors, Amber Dosik’25 said, “It was such a fun trip and was a good opportunity to bond with the rest of the class! We went bowling and played laser tag, which was super cool.”
Attending these field trips as a final bonding experience can also help increase students’ happiness and provide them with a sense of preparedness for college and their future. Having a strong social circle provides numerous benefits for graduating seniors, as, according to an article done by Stanford’s Lifestyle Medicine, “researchers estimate that having strong and secure relationships not only increases our happiness but also our longevity by roughly 50 percent.”
Seniors agreed that the opportunity to spend more time with their classmates was invaluable, especially as they are about to be split up and sent on their separate ways. Senior Reese Roaman said, “The trip was definitely a ten out of ten experience, Chelsea Piers was so fun, and being together was really special.”
The trip, organized by Bates with input from the student body, was a definite hit and something that Poly will hopefully bring back year after year as it continues to be a success. “I definitely think they should run this trip again next year,” included Dosik. Roaman also added that next year she would, “definitely recommend doing it again at Chelsea Piers–it was such a good time.”
