June is an interesting month. The beginning of summer, but also a time of finishing for those of us who are at all influenced by an academic calendar. So this month we’re going to talk about “finishing” and what that means.
This week, let’s talk about that great passage–the end of the school year. Wickeds, did you celebrate the last day of school? Were your graduations great celebrations? Do any of your characters go to school or celebrate the end of it?
Edith/Maddie: I remember that glorious feeling of the last day of school in elementary school. A long lazy summer seemed to stretch out ahead, filled with swimming, fresh peaches, milkshakes, and non-stop reading. I was a goofy kid, and my most memorable last day was in fifth grade. My sister had had Mr. (Ed) Aguirre for sixth grade that year, and I already knew I’d be in his class the next year. In an era where kids never called adults by their first names – and ESPECIALLY not teachers – I stopped by the open door of his classroom, yelled, “See ya next year, Eddie,” and sprinted away laughing. I’m still embarrassed…
Jessie: Fun question, Julie! Once I had a driver’s license I celebrated by going to such at a Chinese buffet with friends. As an adult I have celebrated the end of the school year by moving to the beach for the summer. I adore it!
Liz: My favorite way to celebrate was always to hit the beach with a book. You could say I’m kind of predictable…and that’s still my go-to!
Barb: On the last day of elementary school every year my grandmother would show up in her 1959 Thunderbird. (Not the famous 1957 one. This one was a four-seater, but it had the same shape and look.) She would drive my brother and me to my grandparents’ summer home in Water Mill, Long Island, where we would stay for two weeks. We would swim in the ocean and “the cut” (the place where Mecox Bay met, and occasionally opened to, the ocean). Then, we would go to the pool at my grandmother’s friends, The Allens house and dive for pennies, which would be redeemed at The Penny Candy Store on the way home. My grandmother’s father, my great-grandfather, was usually there at the same time, so I got to know him well. It was a glorious time to be a kid.
Julie: Edith, you made me laugh! And Barb, what wonderful memories! When I was in elementary school we lived in Duxbury, MA so we’d go to the beach for a cookout. We spent a lot of time at the beach those days. I LOVED the feeling of the last day of school. This week I’m going to two high school graduations, and last month I watched my nephew graduate from college. I will say, to date, my college graduation was one of the happiest days of my life.
Sherry: I don’t remember any big celebrations, just a lot of relief and the long summer stretching before me with lots of playing outside and swimming ahead.
Readers, how did you celebrate the last day of school?
I didn’t really celebrate the last day of school. I was too busy making sure all the books were turned in so they didn’t charge me for the damn things.
My graduation was a complete and utter joke. I tried to get out of it but my parents insisted on me going to it. The speaker who was to give the standard “rah-rah you are the best” speech instead gave a speech that was an infomercial for the town’s 350th anniversary celebrations coming up later that summer. I said loud enough for others to hear me say that I didn’t realize we were getting an infomercial.
Usually they dismiss the graduates by letting the honor society go out first but a bunch of us were so fed up with the whole thing we didn’t wait. We walked out making the teachers and honor society people wait and I walked straight to the back and out the back door. Done.
Sorry that there aren’t good memories there for you.
I don’t recall an actual celebration, but I distinctly remember that incredible feeling of freedom from school! That school door just exploded with kids swarming out of it! Summers in Maine were filled with playing in the woods, swimming at the lake, bike riding, and basically just being outdoors.
Those sound like wonderful summers!
I celebrated the last day of school by throwing away all my notebooks. Then I would go hang out in the back yard on the hammock reading and when I got hot I would take a dip in our above ground pool. Even had my transistor radio playing listening to the music that drove my parents nuts.
Above ground pools, books and transistor radios were part of my summers as well.
I don’t remember celebrating the last day of school. My memories are of the weeks preceding it when we circulated among our classmates autograph and/or yearbooks in hand for signatures and memories. My autograph books are lost to moves, but my four high school yearbooks have precious memories.
I always loved that yearbook signing ritual. I wonder if they still do that?
In middle school, we had a shaving cream fight on the last day of school! The principal was not pleased with this, but the tradition carried on for many years. The kids would hide shaving cream around the neighborhood and after school was out, as we were walking home, the “fights” broke out. It was a lot of fun, but I still can’t believe our parents allowed us to do that!
LOL! I guess it could be worse. That must have been fun!
I don’t know as I had an celebrations, but I do remember the feeling of bliss that there wouldn’t be anything interfering with my trips to the library and my reading.
The joy of reading all summer with nothing getting in the way. Bliss indeed!
Pools, friends, music, and joy!
A great list!
My high school had a water fountain upstairs. On the last day of school- our graduation day, my friends and I decided to sit in the fountain in our street clothes- even though most of us still had a swimsuit available since there was a pool in the high school and a part of gym class. What could the administration do to us on the last day? No detentions, so- let’s go sit in the fountain! I also went to school with both Dwayne Johnson and Daniel Dae Kim. Danny is 2 years older than me, Dwayne is 2 years younger. Let’s go Freedom Pats! Black and Gold, Baby!
I love this, and would have done the same thing.
I don’t really have any memories of specific things we did to celebrate the last day of school.
It’s funny, but I still feel the thrill of summer – less TV (although that is definitely changing this summer, most of my shows are still on due to late pandemic related starts), more light, time at the pool, and ultimate Frisbee summer league (which isn’t happening this year due to the pandemic). It’s a lazy time, even if it is busy at work (which it often is for me).
I agree about the thrill of summer–I do love it.
I remember my 6th grade last day of school celebration. I went to a SMALL catholic school out in the country, there were only 6 of us in my grade, 4 boys and 2 girls. We headed out to one of the boys cottages and had a cook out and swam in the river. It was the best!!!! The next year we were all sent to a larger school in a town, so this was to be our last time just the 6 of us. I am still in touch with 2 of those students. The memories will be with me always
Wow, 6 of you! What a nice memory!
The only last day of school I remember was at the end of my Junior year of high school. It was unofficially “skip day” and a bunch of us took off for a state park about an hour north. We had a BBQ, went swimming in the lake and generally had a really good time. Of course, being the last day of school, there was nothing the school could do about it. For as uptight at the school generally was, they just accepted this as a given.
A nice memory.