Every year on the night before Winter Workday, the seniors gather in the dining hall to come together and celebrate. The Senior Holiday Banquet has been a tradition that has been around for decades. This tradition marks the halfway point of senior year and is a good way to celebrate the end of the college process for most.
The senior banquet has been known by many names throughout the years, from the Senior Christmas Dinner to the Christmas Party, which was held originally in the home of the head of school. Now, since there are too many students, it is held in the dining room. Some traditions that take place during the dinner include teachers serving students, a visit from Santa, and gifts given to students by teachers. It is something that seniors look forward to, some of them since Pre-K when they first arrived.
“I heard about it all the way back when I first started,” Austin ‘26 said. “The banquet had been always something to look forward to. I had a good time because it was not about being at a Wooster event; rather, it was about celebrating with friends.”
When we first arrived, we were greeted by Ms. Lucic and Dr. Martin, who led us to the dining room. There, the tables were put together into three rows, going from the entrance all the way to the end of the room. Mr. Byrnes and Mrs. Herrmann proceeded to give you a cranberry sprite mocktail, and you sat yourself. I sat all the way at the end of the middle table with some of my friends. The dinner included a caesar salad, followed by a chicken risotto with asparagus. Lastly, dessert was a chocolate mousse with whipped cream and raspberries on top. While eating, the teachers were serving the students, filling up the waters. As dessert was wrapping up, the teachers and faculty, led by Ms. Mailhot, began singing carols. Those included Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, Sleigh Ride, and ended with Silver Bells.
“It was honestly the best part of the night,” Jackson said. “It’s something you would not see at a lot of other schools.”
After the caroling, Mr. Byrnes invited us to the chapel for the final part of the event. As we followed him in all the seniors sat together in the front-most section while the teachers and faculty filled in the back section. Mr. Byrnes was sitting on the raised section of the chapel with a chair and a copy of the classic novel, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. As he read the book, there was a tension in the air. As he read the last page, bells began to ring, and St. Nick entered the chapel with 2 elves and a reindeer.
After St. Nick got settled, the group then began to read out small personal messages to each senior with a class-wide gift. As each person was called, one of the four visitors read a personal note written by teachers. New faculty members also received their Wooster toolboxes. Overall, the senior banquet was a festive way to wrap up the first half of senior year. It was a time to come together and celebrate each other here in the community.
Sean '26
Advanced Journalism Student
