Senior Lock-In

AISG has had a long standing tradition to hold a lock-in for the senior class each year. The class of 2017 had their lock-in on March 3rd, the same night that they performed the senior dance at the end of the talent show. The lock-in was delegated to the grade 12 StuCo, who not only have to plan out the events of the night, but also arrange for food and safety measures. The purpose of such an event is to allow class bonding and an opportunity to create some memories with our peers before graduation. In the midst of the most stressful period of seniors’ education, it is a strong tradition that helps us generate excitement for our remaining time together, as well as our futures.

The night of the lock-in arrived and the enthusiasm of the seniors was evident. After practicing relentlessly for their senior dance, emotions were running high. As the student body cleared out after the talent show, the seniors stayed behind and huddled in Ms. Trangia’s room singing “We are the Champions” by Queen. The voices of the whole grade vibrated through the empty hallways making it one of the rare moments the grade truly felt like a single unit. Going down to the kitchen the seniors separated into tables, with each sharing a large bowl of hotpot and rows of pre-ordered KFC, courtesy of our brilliant senior StuCo.  Immediately laughter erupted into the room as everyone stuffed themselves with as much food as they pleased. The atmosphere was exhilarating as the seniors are known for their love of food, and our voices were loud enough that it seemed like the rest of the student body was also present.

Immediately after eating their fill, the class took showers and changed into PJs to begin the night. As the shower spaces were limited, those who were waiting to get their turn played volleyball in the court shouting words of encouragement to their teammates. Mr.Sinclair looked on, hoping the ball wouldn’t hit him as the seniors were playing in a completely unconventional manner with no common volleyball game rules.

After everyone had showered and was comfortable, an eerie voice erupted through the speaker and all the students were ushered into a dark room by masked StuCo members pretending to be abductors. In order to be released, students had to answer a series of questions until only 5 students were left in the room, with the responsibility to find the rest of the senior class hidden in the school. Although the game did not go exactly as planned, it was still a good effort to have some grade bonding by StuCo.

Even though the activity was not completely successful, the free time afterwards made up for it. Students dispersed into large groups, some playing video games on a projector in the hall, while others watched movies, played Cards Against Humanity and UNO. Laughter could be heard in all corners of the school no matter what activity the students chose. One particular moment was when some seniors decided they no longer wanted to use their legs to walk and chose to roam through the hallways on rolling chairs and scooters yelling and competing with each other’s speed. The shocked expressions of the teachers in charge were remarkable, as this probably showed the childish innocence still evident in the young adults they see everyday stressed out about their workload and about to head off onto a journey called college.

On average most of the seniors slept at around 3 – 4 am (thanks to all the teachers who sacrificed their evenings and still bore with the seniors in their excitement and inability to sleep). Some students did not even sleep and decided to stay up all night and make breakfast for the class first. In the morning, the school-wide speakers played songs the seniors danced to the night before as well as 90s hits, causing all seniors to experience an overwhelming sense of nostalgia.

Departing from the event back to our homes on Saturday, there was a feeling of realization that all this is actually happening. The class is grateful to AISG and our teachers as well as StuCo for organizing an event that allowed us to make some more precious memories. Go Class Of 2017!!!