Have you ever found yourself wishing you could be a senior? Is it the feeling of having only one more year before college , or all of the privileges they have, that you envy? Personally, I always found myself wishing I possessed the freedoms that seniors did. At RMA, there are several rewards for having made it through over a decade of grade school and being the “leaders”. Here is the list of the top 10 things to look forward to:

10. Senior breakfast on the first day of school: Provided by the 5^th grade parents, all seniors and their parents are invited to the library where a lovely arrangement of food and flowers awaits them. This sure is a sight for sore eyes, especially after Senior Night when no one gets a bit of sleep!

9. Writing college acceptances on Mrs. Patton’s whiteboard: Once accepted into a college, seniors can write it on Mrs. Patton’s whiteboard for all to see. When a senior commits to a college, they write it in red, as opposed to their acceptances in green. I can remember looking up at the board in 9^th grade with envy at all of the prestigious and interesting places these seniors would be going next fall. This is a senior tradition, and a well-deserved one at that.

8. Picture day at Rose Hill Plantation: Instead of lining up alphabetically in Avondale Hall to sit on a stool and take a quick snapshot, seniors get to have their pictures done at Rose Hill Plantation in Nashville (and miss a whole day of school for it). The amazing Bill Goode works his photographic magic so all seniors can have the perfect picture for their half page in the yearbook.

7. Junior-Senior Prom: While the juniors attend prom too, they also have to fundraise, plan, and set up everything. They put blood, sweat, and tears into this perfect night, while seniors show up promptly at 9pm for presentation with their date and a parent dance. Prom is always a fun time for all in attendance, but it’s an especially great night for the seniors.

6. The New York trip: Each year the senior class travels to New York City for the ultimate field trip. Planned far in advance by the wonderful Mrs. Patton, RMA seniors explore the city that never sleeps. While in the Big Apple this year, the class of 2016 will see two Broadway shows, a Knicks game in Madison Square Garden, and visit the 9/11 memorial. To say that this trip is a once in a lifetime opportunity would be an understatement.

5. Senior prank day: Every underclassmen comes to school excited to see what tricks the senior class have up their sleeve each year. Typically held in May, seniors are allowed to spend the night in the school and set up anything from streamers across the freshman’s lockers to taking over the morning announcements. Most notable pranks include the huge “FOR SALE” sign on the front lawn in 2014, live goldfish in the water bottles in the cafeteria, and over 300 balloons scattered across the courtyard circa 2008. With the bar set higher and higher each year, this day has students of all ages scheming their senior prank day years in advance.

4. Senior exam exemptions: In the third trimester, if a senior maintains a certain grade average in any given class with under 5 absences, they are exempt from their exams. Excluding AP Exams (these tests are national), seniors are typically done with testing two weeks into the month of May.

3. Senior parking: Senior students that drive to school have the middle two rows of parks reserved for them. Juniors (should) park against the soccer field fence and the sophomores have to brave the walk from the gravel lot to Proctor Hall each day, which is particularly terrible from December to February or if it is raining. This easy access parking is just one of those things that is considered not as big a privilege until you try backing out of the junior parking row during middle school release….it’s impossible.

2. Long lunch 3 times a week: This was always the freedom I was most envious of, personally. While our cafeteria food is exceptional, having the independence to leave campus for an hour and not report to flex is a great feeling. While most seniors cannot go out all three days due to club meetings or tardiness, all of us try to take full advantage of it and go out as much as our schedules will allow.

1. Graduation: Yes, this is very cliché, but what would a senior year be without a graduation? If you have ever attended an RMA graduation, you know that there is simply nothing like it. This personal service has a tradition of recognizing every senior for his or her accomplishments and character, with a speech from Ms. Covolo, followed by a lovely ceremony outside with music and refreshments. Seniors will leave their final year at RMA with fond memories of a special graduation service that embodies the Rocky Mount Academy experience.