Hundreds of seniors took a trip to Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, Texas last Friday and spent the entire night at the park. This Friday, they will then participate in a senior walk through E.J. Moss Intermediate and Velma Penny Elementary School as well as a picnic at Faulkner Park.

“The end-of-year festivities are important for seniors because they are about to leave school to begin a new phase in their lives,” principal Valerie Payne said. “

Students traveled to Six Flags Over Texas Friday at 8 p.m. to stay there until 5 a.m. for a night at the amusement park that seniors from several other schools across Texas participated in as well. The $100 cost of the trip included an all-you-can eat meal at the park, transportation, an event shirt, breakfast at the high school and a prize giveaway that promised each senior they would leave with a gift worth at least $50.

A tradition many schools across Texas continue, the senior walk will take place Friday at 9 a.m. through Lindale’s two elementary schools. This gives future graduates the chance to wear their caps and gowns and walk through the same halls they did while in elementary schools to hopefully recount meaningful memories from the time.

“I believe that schools across Texas participate in senior walks because we as seniors are showing a positive example of leadership, and want the younger children to see what to look forward,” senior Andres Rodriguez said. “For students that have been in Lindale their whole lives, the walk takes them back through their childhood and their memories.”

Immediately following the senior walk, students will return to the high school, remove their caps and gowns and ride in buses to Faulkner Park for a picnic. The picnic will last from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. as one final festivity for seniors before graduation.

“Many of our senior students have parents teaching on those campuses, so you can imagine how proud they are to see their seniors, in caps and gowns, walking their halls,” Payne said. “The senior picnic is our way of providing a culminating experience outside of the classroom where both graduates and their teachers can relax and enjoy a much-deserved day of fun right before exams and graduation.”

These three senior festivities pair with graduation to serve as celebrations of students’ accomplishments throughout their years at Lindale. As a break from rigorous coursework, they offer opportunities for seniors to create memories they can look back to in the years following high school.

“My favorite part of Six Flags was the rides, and since then, I have been more excited about the senior walk,” Rodriguez said. “I have been looking forward to these end of year celebrations since last August.”