Senior Night is a joyous tradition at Poly Prep, where sports teams come together to celebrate their seniors as they move on to the next chapter of their lives. This year, the tradition was yet again upheld by the fall sports teams, such as Boys’ Football, Girls’ and Boys’ Soccer, Girls’ Tennis, Girls’ Volleyball and Girls’ and Boys’ Cross Country.
“I think it’s a chance for the seniors and their families to really reflect on what hopefully has been a good career. The big thing for me in athletics in general is, I want us to provide a positive and memorable experience. 10 years from now, 20 years from now, 30 years from now, I want you to look back and say, ‘hey, I had a good time playing at Poly,’” shared Lou Candel, Head of Athletics at Poly. Candel believes that Senior Night’s importance comes from providing a time for the seniors to settle into the idea of graduating after their dedicated effort in playing for Poly. Although each sport, senior and graduating class is different, Senior Night is always fundamentally the same in its message and traditions throughout the many years and teams it has been upheld by.
Boys’ Soccer
In order to prepare for Senior Night, underclassmen of the Boys’ Varsity Soccer team spent the previous days planning speeches and making posters honoring their senior teammates. “There’s been a lot of bonding over the posters, and it’s been a lot of fun making them,” said Charlie Jacobs ’28. Not only did the seniors receive heartfelt speeches from their younger teammates reflecting on their time playing the sport at Poly, but during the process, teammates were able to connect with one another. Michael Pavlich, the Head Coach of Boys Soccer, stated in an email to the Polygon that, before their final game, the team participated in a small ceremony, where the results of the underclassmen’s work was presented and shared, to represent the love and respect felt towards the seniors. Afterwards, parents brought food and drinks for the players to enjoy.
Girls’ Soccer
On the day of their Homecoming game, the Poly Girls’ Varsity Soccer team presented their seniors with homemade posters and bouquets of flowers. “The team assigns an underclassman to every senior, and we have them make posters to put on the fence, which is my favorite tradition. Then, we all sign the professional posters to put by the bleachers,” said Abigail Mangerson, a senior captain of the team. Usually, a few teammates are tasked to make something special for the whole team in addition to their assignments. This year, junior Sienna Roter and junior Shelby Kimmelman prepared custom sweatsuits, complete with the full roster on the back of the hoodie. Parents brought an assortment of food and drinks for after the final game, and provided players with a team dinner a few nights after.
Boys’ and Girls’ Cross Country
“The cross country team honors our seniors with posters covered in pictures of them and their teammates at Poly, color-coordinated with their future college,” wrote Daniel Winn, the Head Coach of Cross Country, in an email to the Polygon. During the team’s Senior Night, on top of the underclassmen’s contributions, Winn made a short speech dedicated to the seniors, on what they meant to the team and their accomplishments throughout their careers. The team captain, Dorsey Smith, also gave a speech at the team dinner, as a final addition in commemorating the seniors.
Girls’ Tennis
The seniors on Girls’ Varsity Tennis were celebrated with crowns, sashes, balloons, posters, flowers and cookies. Parents and teammates all contributed to the celebration, with the girls bringing in special decorations so that the seniors could have their special moment. Emma Schlesinger ’28 said in an email to the Polygon that the tradition of Senior Night was one she looked forward to every year, and that the festivities offered a bonding experience for the team and departing seniors.
Girls’ Volleyball
The Girls’ Varsity Volleyball Senior Night was an “emotional and celebratory day, where teammates shared heartfelt speeches, poems and memories,” said Benjamin Diaz, the Head Coach of Girls’ Volleyball. Similar to the other athletic teams, underclassmen read speeches to the seniors, where they shared stories on their past experiences playing for Poly. The parents brought an assortment of food to celebrate their final league game, and provided a team dinner where members could celebrate their last moments of their Poly career.
Boys’ Football
Boys’ Varsity Football had a ceremony before their Homecoming game, where they celebrated the seniors and their families. “Underclassmen formed a tunnel for [senior] players and their families to walk through, and at the end of the tunnel they were greeted with flowers from coaches and took photos,” recalled Head Football Coach Jerell Jones. After the game, parents provided a meal, snacks and a personalized cake for all of the seniors, with their names and numbers written on the top.
Certain methods of celebration differ across the teams, yet, the food, gifts and show of respect from the underclassmen stay prevalent throughout the many celebrations of Senior Night.
