Senior Night at FCSD
FALLSBURG, July 2021– Fallsburg Central School District (FCSD) created a very special evening for the Class of 2021 on June 18.
The title of the event was simple—”Senior Night.” The intention was to give the graduating class a night of memories and an opportunity to celebrate their friendships shaped over the entire school experience.
Students felt welcomed as soon as they entered the high school lobby with black and gold decorations and signs honoring the graduates. When it was time to enjoy the abundance of teen-favored hot buffet foods and ice cream-with-fixings bar, they walked down the steps to the 300 wing of the building as they had done thousands of times. Above the steps was a complete list of class members by first names emblazoned on a banner.
A highlight of the evening was a photo booth provided by DJ Jimmy Lyles of K104 in Beacon, NY. Adjoining the booth was a table filled with crowns, signs, extravagant gold and silver necklaces (imitation, of course), weird eyewear, and masks– not the kind the students came in wearing, but Halloween masks. Students and staff could not wait to take photos several times throughout the event. Many went home with pockets and purses stuffed with photo strips of three photos each.
Several times during the celebration, groups of six students came up to sit at a large table in front of Jimmy Lyles for a friendly trivia competition. Questions were about FCSD and popular culture. Participants and the audience of classmates could not stop laughing and cheering as each grouping sat down and gave incorrect or correct answers. Winners of each group received $25 gift certificates for their efforts.
The next-to-the-last item on the agenda was going into the school auditorium to enjoy a video put together by Class Advisor Victoria Alzate with technical help from Nick Wells of the Tech Department. Students laughed at seeing themselves from elementary school days, especially at sixth grade graduation. Candid photos elicited some screams, and there were probably a few tears at remembering those moments. Loud applause rang out at the end of the video.
Before everyone began leaving the building, all the Classmates of 2021 present went to the front entrance steps to the high school. Standing beneath the Fallsburg Jr.-Sr. High School sign, students smiled, waved, and cheered. In the last few shots, Victoria Alzate and class guidance counselor Sonja Ferreira joined the group. Finally, Ms. Alzate took a selfie with everyone in the background.
During the past year-plus, with the pandemic impacting school events, the Class of 2021 was not able to have a junior prom or a senior class trip. This night of silly snapshots from a photo booth, being with classmates, friends and teachers and staff, delighting in delicious food, and reliving old memories will be a treasured moment in the Class of 2021 experience.