Long before this year’s graduating class entered the doors of Niles West High School, a long-standing tradition of leaving a senior handprint has been a hallmark of the senior experience. For decades, this momentous occasion, representing pride, commitment and accomplishment, has stood as a manifestation of one’s success, perseverance and dedication to both the triumphs and tribulations of high school.
However, though the fault of nobody, the infrastructure of our school simply cannot support the accumulating myriad of handprints from years passed. For over three decades every nook, cranny, and small speck of space on the walls in the cafeteria and student commons has been used to respect this tradition, but there simply is no more space.
In an effort to pay homage to this time-honored tradition, while adjusting to the restrictions set by the geometric topic of surface area, along with a necessity to update the building as time goes, Director of Student Activities, Caitlin Lucci, and other members of school administration collaborated to think up the idea of the “Senior Alley.”
The way it works is every graduating class, at the beginning of their senior year, is invited to “Senior Alley Day”, where the students are allowed to put their handprint on the wall, with a rotating slideshow of pictures, and have it up for the duration of the school year. Then, before the start of the following year, the handprints are removed and the wall is prepared for a new graduating class.
The new system has been greeted with mixed emotions from students, including myself. I remember walking into Niles West as a little kid and seeing all those handprints on the wall, imagining how it would feel when I got to put mine up next to so many generations before me, including my mom. Although I know that I will not be able to come back and see my handprint up on that wall, I know that it was up there and that I do have a piece in Niles West history. I also understand that it was physically impossible for us to continue doing things the same way. There was just no more space for us to put up any more handprints. Despite hoping to come back in 20 years and see my handprint, when considering all these factors, I have to agree with the decision and steps taken by Lucci and the rest of school administration in updating the system we use.
“It’s a cool idea. I like the sound of it. I like that during the year, the seniors get to see what they’ve put up there, but I don’t really like the fact that once the year is over, if you ever come back here, there is nothing to remember your year by,” senior Emro Perocevic said.
Perocevic’s words resonate with much of the senior class, but despite the change, the open minded students filled the cafeteria hallway to the brim on Wednesday morning for the first annual “Senior Alley Day.” Although students may have come simply to put their handprint on the wall and to eat a doughnut, they got more than they bargained for. As the realization finally set in that after three years of hard work, dedication and great memories their high school journey would be at its end in just two short semesters, the mixed emotions intensified.
The simple fact that my time at Niles West is almost done is shocking. To think of all the early morning and late night practices, all the club meetings and passing periods, all of the hellos and goodbyes and to realize that in less than nine months all of that will be over is unbelievable. I have listened to the seniors of years past drone on about how fast it goes a million times, dismissing their words as nothing but clichés, but it never occurred to me that those clichés exist for a reason. No matter how long the day seems to drag on, the years fly by and the key is to enjoy the ride.
“It feels scary to know that high school is going to be over soon. I made a lot of memories and grew so much, so its going to be hard to let go of the sense of security I felt here, but I am excited for what’s next,” senior Pia Mendoza said.
Additionally, seniors are concerned that their mark on this school will be erased once the handprints are replaced, however, the process for a digital archive of past and future handprints is already underway and is a major priority for Lucci and the administration. Although it would be nice to come back to Niles West and see our handprints where we left them, the fact that every graduating class after ours gets to put their handprints over our handprints is even better in a symbolic way. We laid the foundation for future generations to be able to experience the feeling we did. We made it possible for those who come after us to continue this tradition in a a way where we build upon each other’s success instead of just our own, truly embodying the idea of a wolf pack. Not to mention the fact that our handprints will not be gone, simply relocated into a digital archive, where they will truly be available forever.
It would indeed be nice to see a physical marker of our time here at Niles West, but to know that we set the foundation for future generations is a reward far greater than coming to see some paint on a wall. By using the “Senior Alley” our handprints have a direct impact on those who come after us, and show the unity that graduating classes at Niles West have, not only within themselves, but traversing generations. Although we will not be able to come back and see the handprints on the wall, we will always know that somewhere deep under those layers and layers of paint, representing the hard work of generations, each individual plays a part in the story that is Niles West High School.
Without a doubt, the new process of senior handprints is different, but it was a change that we needed and one that carries far greater symbolic value than many could have thought of. In short, despite the fact that change can be scary, especially when it comes to a tradition so well-established, it is necessary. In the name of progress and for the betterment of future generations, it is imperative that one braves the change, planting the seeds of success. From something as locally minded as what to do with senior hand prints, to global issues that at face our entire human race, the solutions begins with overcoming that fear.
