The cafeteria has a new installation that was placed over the deli wall last weekend. The new focus piece is a senior countdown built by Hingham High School’s very own wood shop teacher Dr. Pawlowski. The board is made up of a piece of wood with removable number panels that display the number of school days left for seniors (not including weekends as many have wondered).
Sienna Sullivan, secretary for the class of 2025, explains that the senior class officers were initially confronted by HHS’s administrative assistant Mrs. Johnson, who was inspired by other schools in the area that have graduation countdown boards including neighboring Hanover High School. Sienna stated that since the original price was around $200 dollars, the class of 2025 was going to simply donate the board to the school with a small notation reading “Donated by the Class of 2025”. However, the cost eventually totaled up to around $800 because Dr. Pawlowski brought in an “outside guy” since he wanted the letters to last longer. Due to this change in price, the class officers decided to make the count down the 2025 Senior class gift instead of merely a donation, much to the surprise of the other members of the class of 2025.
For a moment as bittersweet as graduating high school, a reminder of the graduation class’s impact on the school along with the school’s impact on its graduates has served as an important tradition of the Hingham High School community for years. In the past, the senior class gift has varied from everything from a chain-link lock fence from the class of 2023 located in the back parking lot to several memorial benches placed around the school. However, according to Sienna Sullivan, this senior gift is particularly special as the sign “Will serves as a reminder to soak up each day. With only so many days left of our senior year, we want students to see the countdown and understand that each day matters” She adds, “This countdown is dedicated to all seniors- not solely to those who feel sad about their high school years coming to an end. For those ready to graduate, feeling stressed with school, or those eager to start the next chapter of their lives.”
With the class officers’ assurance that this senior gift is for the entire class, it is important to gauge the reactions of the seniors to whom it is dedicated. Senior, Katie Peirce stated that the countdown makes her, “excited for what is to come. With so many important moments and events in senior year it is fun to see that graduation is steadily arriving.” While some reactions are optimistic, some are more worrisome as the days count down. Another member of the class of 2025, Delaney O’Horo, remarks on the surprising nature of the countdown as it was not publicly announced until it was placed on the cafeteria wall. She states plainly that the countdown, “Made it all real for [her], it was scary to see how many days we have left and how fast graduation is approaching.” No matter the reaction, the countdown has become a talking point for the senior class as their final year at HHS is approaching its halfway point.
