Senior Skip Day
I know when Milton's Senior Skip Day is.
I would like to say that I found this out through my brilliant investigative skills and fatherly intuition.
But actually, I simply asked my daughter. And she also told me that all that was needed for her to participate was a signed absence note.
Say what? Senior Skip Day is no big secret anymore? And it's parent-approved?
Where is the fun in that? A parent-approved Senior Skip Day is like getting permission from a cop to break the speed limit. It takes away the thrill of getting away with something, where you planned and executed this covert action and your enjoyment could not be complete because of the worry about being caught.
They took Senior Skip Day seriously when I was in school. The planning was all very hush-hush. When the administration caught wind of the day it was supposed to happen, stern warnings went out over the high school PA system. There were even threats about holding back diplomas.
Now, the word is out, and no one seems to care. Yawn.
It must be a generational thing. Once, rock and roll was the music of youthful rebellion; now we go to rock concerts with our kids. Once, we pulled a fast one on teachers and parents; now the parents are in on the deal.
I didn't participate in the big Senior Skip Day at Milton High School in 1980 – in fact, I'm not even sure now that there was one - but my friends and I made one of our own that spring.
It was totally spontaneous. A group of us were talking in the cafeteria before school, and the main topic of conversation was how much we didn't want to be there. That's not much different than what I'm hearing from my daughter right now. Her AP tests are over and she really wants school to be done.
As my friends and I were comparing notes about our class schedules that particular day, we came to the conclusion that there was nothing transpiring that we couldn't miss. So in an incredibly bold and amazingly stupid move, we walked back out to the parking lot, jumped in a car and listened to the bell ring as we left the school grounds.
We ended up spending the day in Madison, a bunch of 18-year-olds enjoying the wonders of State Street. Our big plan was to time our return so that we got back to the high school right when the school day was ending.
And you know what? It worked. We actually got away with it. My group made it to the parking lot right as the final bell rang, and we each went home “from school” at our normal time.
In those days, an absence did not need to be reported with a phone call from home, and as 18-year-olds, we could sign our own excuse notes. We all did that the following day, and our parents were none the wiser about The Day We Skipped School.
Not that anybody ever read the excuse notes anyway. On another occasion when I missed school due to Actual Illness, I decided to pocket my authentic absence note signed by Mom and instead turn in a note I wrote myself, explaining that I had been in Vatican City to visit Pope Paul. The secretary never looked at the note; she just stamped it and threw it in a box with the rest while issuing my “Excused Absence” pass.
Speaking of my mother, she has never heard about any of this, and she doesn't own a computer, so please don't tell her. She could still kick my butt, even with a fake hip and knee.
And that sense of danger and the threat of a good butt-kicking was all part of the excitement. An openly-revealed, mom-and-dad-sanctioned Senior Skip Day?
How boring.
Jun 4, 2010 at 10:13 p.m.
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Jim, Now I finally have something I can hold over your head with Mom!
May 29, 2010 at 6:51 p.m.
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My senior skip day consisted of us getting junk furniture from the curb and bringing it into the school and putting it right in the foyer and walking out. It was pretty sweet.
May 27, 2010 at 12:13 p.m.
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Is it ok to skip a day of learning? Heck students just had spring break. Do you as parents really know what they are doing? Unsupervised fun? Poor decisions can still be made at 18 - good student or not.
May 27, 2010 at 8:26 a.m.
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Mouse- also don't most business GIVE you three or so "sick days" a year??
May 27, 2010 at 8:23 a.m.
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Mouse- whatever.
Better to get one day off playing ill than. Can go to work,
my kid is sick
my kid has a game
my wife
my bla bla bla
May 27, 2010 at 6:52 a.m.
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Once you're 18 you're either going to be a good student and the Skip Day really makes no difference long-term (as long as you're not out getting drunk somewhere acting stupid), or you've already dropped out (mentally or physically) and don't care much for the whole education thing, or xyz... so Skip Day also doesn't really matter. What's funny is that some parents still want to have control over their adult children's choices. By 18, they're basically who they're going to be and they should get to make the calls. They can (should) ask for advice (which is given freely) but they need to decide if they RISK IT ALL and SKIP a day - or if they go to class. No biggie. My brother was in the class where the kid scammed everyone and took the money and ran ... I believe, if it's the same guy, he did some time (for unrelated criminal activity that he did not get away with) So, for him, Skip Day was just the beginning of a life of crime ... so maybe Skip Day does matter!
May 27, 2010 at 6:35 a.m.
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Interesting comments.. Does senior skip day move one into being a less effective worker who bilks the system for free sick time.....
May 26, 2010 at 10:23 p.m.
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James.....Having to meet with the principal to get excused wouldn't be all that bad....If you were on Milty Bakken's good side, it was easy..... :)
May 26, 2010 at 9:03 p.m.
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Our senior skip day resulted in 8 of the 9 starters on the baseball team becoming ineligible due to drinking at a party.
May 26, 2010 at 6:36 p.m.
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Jim, after my daughter turned 18, and I received a call asking permission for her to come home sick, I asked about her signing herself out and was told that I would need to write her a note allowing her to do so. (Milton) Parental permission to be an adult! Loved it! This will be very handy when the next sibling turns 18 in two years, hope they dont change it!
May 26, 2010 at 6:27 p.m.
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Bellagio...That would be called the senior prank! lol
May 26, 2010 at 6:12 p.m.
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great parenting janesvillegirl! (Sarcasm)
I have never taken a day off of work for being sick. I haven't taken a mental health day either. What a joke!
May 26, 2010 at 5:22 p.m.
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I helped my son plan his senior skip day. He is not 18 so I had to excuse him, but I did not say he was ill. He is a good student and a great kid, so I let him have a mental health day as we jokingly call it. I have given him one day per semester since grade 9 to use in a constructive manner outside of school as long as his grades are good and he has not had any attendence problems, so far so good and he is graduating soon!!!
May 26, 2010 at 5:14 p.m.
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This year at Parker if students filled out a planned absence form, the skip day was principal excused. What the heck!
May 26, 2010 at 5:07 p.m.
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Milton Class of '85 didnt have a senior skip day. Instead our class officers went to the Admin. and said we wont have a skip day if we can get out 2 days earlier like many of our older siblings did. They must have been very persuading because all our class had to do was not have more than 10 students absent per day for the remainder of the year. We got out 2 days early and then we partied!!!!!!
May 26, 2010 at 4:38 p.m.
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frogger
May 26, 2010 at 1:23 p.m.
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Mouse- not true. I still only miss about one day a year and usually have to play "ill" to get that.
Excuses?
A shame you have to play "ill" for maybe one day! I think that was what I said.
May 26, 2010 at 1:47 p.m.
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70 million and from what I hear the air conditioning was not working the first day they tried to use it. My child has come home twice, skipping lunch to take a cool shower and hurry back to school. They are too hot to eat anyways.
Remember the days when schools had no air? All we had was an open window and sometimes a fan. How did we all live? LOL
May 26, 2010 at 1:23 p.m.
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I hardly missed days of school. My parents were strick about things but when it came to this she wrote me a note. I was "ill" ! )
I turned 18 very late in the grad year and missed 5 half days. Can sign yourself out if 18. Still had pretty good grades.
wjbecky"Now if you're 18 you can sign yourself out any old day -- no fun to skip when you can!!"
I disagree. ! ). Parents didn't know!!
eatslessmovemore- They don't call if after lunch.
Mouse- not true. I still only miss about one day a year and usually have to play "ill" to get that.
Opinionofmine- I agree. I also agree unless you are 18 you should stay in school, or on campus, for lunch.
How much did we pay 70 million. You will stay and enjoy your new lunch room!
May 26, 2010 at 12:36 p.m.
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I understand that they are adults, but unless you live on your own, I think you should have to have a parents permission to leave.
May 26, 2010 at 11:57 a.m.
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My understanding is that in Milton, 18-year-olds can still sign themselves out, but there are restrictions - including a face-to-face meeting with the principal when that option is exercised. :)
Jim
May 26, 2010 at 11:36 a.m.
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In Janesville, 18-year-olds are able to sign themselves out. Many of them closely watch their hours to see how many more classes they can sign out of before getting into trouble.
May 26, 2010 at 11:28 a.m.
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eatlessmovemore....when I was in highschool and turned 18 I was able to write my own note and sign myself out! That was back in 1994, BUT I am pretty sure it is still the same as I know other people's children who once they turn 18 submitt their own note and go on about their business!
May 26, 2010 at 11:12 a.m.
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Starting the excuses early, before they get into the work force? Seems to carry on into adult life for some.
May 26, 2010 at 10:57 a.m.
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becky - I don't think there's a school in the area that allows 18-year olds to sign them self out without some sort of contact from a parent. Correct me if I'm wrong.
May 26, 2010 at 10:39 a.m.
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Now if you're 18 you can sign yourself out any old day -- no fun to skip when you can!!
May 26, 2010 at 7:31 a.m.
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I remember I decided to go to class, duh, only 4 of us there, so of course the teacher of our homeroom said, "have a nice day, thanks for coming!" LOL
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