Senior Week
{{Short description|High school celebration week in the United States}}
Senior Week (also known as Beach Week, Senior Trip, Sweek, or Grad Week) is a week where recently graduated high school and college seniors in the United States, mainly from the East Coast and the South go to the beach to spend time with their friends. It primarily happens in June, when most of the seniors graduate. The week varies depending on different schools, and school districts, but people still flock for the bulk of the month.
Description
During Senior Week, recently graduated high school and college seniors go to the beach to spend time with their friends.{{cite news|title=What is Senior Week?|url=http://www.seniorweekhotels.com/what-is-senior-week|agency=Senior Week Hotels|work=Senior Week Hotels|date=January 11, 2015|page=What is Senior Week?|access-date= January 21, 2015}} This observance typically occurs during the last half of May and most of June.{{Cite web|title = Senior Week Dates - Myrtle Beach Senior Week|url = http://myrtleseniorweek.com/myrtle-beach-senior-week-dates/|access-date = 2015-10-05}} During Senior Week, the graduates rent condos, beach houses or hotel rooms and enjoy each other's company. Graduates often party and participate in various beachside activities during Senior Week. Some popular Senior Week destinations include Dewey Beach, Delaware; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Outer Banks, North Carolina; Ocean City, Maryland; Panama City Beach, Florida; Virginia Beach, Virginia; and Wildwood, New Jersey.{{cite news|last=Chandler|first=Michael Alison|title=Senior Beach Week: Sex, drugs and crime are on tap, Md. police warn parents |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/maryland-schools-insider/post/senior-beach-week-full-of-risks-for-teens-police-tell-parents/2012/03/20/gIQAhvxSQS_blog.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|date= March 21, 2012|access-date= February 18, 2013}}{{cite news|last=Dvorak|first=Petula|title=Senior Week in Ocean City: How heinously are your kids behaving?|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/senior-week-how-heinously-are-your-kids-behaving-in-ocean-city/2012/06/10/gJQAjwGTUV_story.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|date= June 11, 2012|access-date= February 18, 2013}}{{cite news|last=Bryant|first=Dawn|title=Senior Week: A blessing, a curse|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bMpOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Vh8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=6416,3287832&dq=senior-week+beach&hl=en|agency=Knight Ridder|work=Morning Star|location=Wilmington, NC|page=7B|date= June 13, 2002|access-date= February 18, 2013}}{{cite news|title=Senior class to celebrate graduation with trip to Ocean City|url=http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/thebrownandwhiteblog/index.ssf/2012/04/senior_class_to_celebrate_grad_1.html|work=The Express-Times|location=Easton, PA|date= April 11, 2012|access-date= February 18, 2013}}{{cite news|title=Wildwood to remain tough on rowdy visitors|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=11IiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7aYFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4823,3401797&dq=senior+week+wildwood+nj&hl=en|agency=Associated Press|work=Reading Eagle|page=B-8|date= May 25, 1986|access-date= February 19, 2013}}{{Cite web|title = About Myrtle Beach Senior Week - Myrtle Beach Senior Week| work=Myrtle Beach Senior Week |url = http://myrtleseniorweek.com/about-myrtle-beach-senior-week/|access-date = 2015-10-05}}{{cite news|last=Zoppo|first=Avalon R.|title=Senior Week in Wildwood: A money-making machine that residents love to hate|work=The Philadelphia Inquirer|date=June 20, 2018|url=http://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/shore/wildwood-high-school-senior-week-new-jersey-20180620.html?cid=Philly.com+Twitter|access-date=June 20, 2018}}
Ocean City, Maryland has several events catered to Senior Week which include Play it Safe, the Ocean City Car Show, & Dew Tour. Graduates are able to ride the bus free during senior week if they are to participate in any of the Ocean City-run Play it Safe events which include volleyball, miniature golf, paintballing, and karaoke.{{cite news|title=Play it Safe|url=http://www.playitsafeoceancity.com|agency=Play it Safe Ocean City|work=Ocean City Town|page=Home|date= May 25, 2011|access-date= December 31, 2013}}{{cite news|title=Dew Tour Ocean CIty|url=http://dewtouroceancity.com/index.php/about|agency=Dew Tour|work=Dew Tour|page=Home|date= June 25, 2012|access-date= December 31, 2013}}{{cite news|title=Senior Week Rentals|url=http://www.MySeniorWeek.com|agency=My Senior Week|work=My Senior Week Publication|page=Home|date= May 25, 2015|access-date= December 31, 2013}}{{cite news|title=OC Car Show|url=http://www.occarshow.com|agency=OC Car Show|page=Home|date= May 25, 2014|access-date= December 31, 2013}}{{cite news|title=OC Senior Week Rentals: Renting to Senior Week|url=http://www.OCSeniorWeekRentals.com|agency=Ocean City Senior Week|work=Oc Senior Week Publication|page=Home|date= May 25, 2014|access-date= December 31, 2013}}
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina has become one of the most popular locations for recent graduates to visit in May and June.{{Cite web|title = Star-News - Google News Archive Search|url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1454&dat=20020613&id=bMpOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Vh8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=6416,3287832&hl=en|website = news.google.com|access-date = 2015-10-05}} Many students participate in the Myrtlemaniac Card club and entertainment program which includes a series of themed events, a concert, and discounts on transportation, food and other activities.{{Cite web|title = Myrtlemaniac Card - Myrtle Beach Senior Week| work=Myrtle Beach Senior Week |url = http://myrtleseniorweek.com/get-your-myrtlemaniac-card/|access-date = 2015-10-05}}
Controversy
During Senior Week, some of the recently graduated high school students participate in illegal activities such as underage drinking, breaking local curfews, and causing excessive noise. Many beach towns have taken various steps to combat the illegal aspects of Senior Week, such as increasing the number of police officers on patrol to write tickets and arrest people for illegal activities. In Wildwood, New Jersey, a "Rowdy House" ordinance was implemented in 2010 where homeowners would receive a warning if the police are repeatedly called to the house for underage drinking or excessive noise. Following the warning, property owners can receive a fine of up to $1,000 and could lose their mercantile licenses. In Ocean City, Maryland, the Play it Safe program run by the town helps discourage the graduates from participating in illegal activities. In Dewey Beach, Delaware, officers from the police department travel to schools in the spring to remind students that underage drinking will not be tolerated in the town; this action has led to the decline of Dewey Beach as a Senior Week destination.{{cite web|last=Hatmaker|first=Julia|title=High school Senior Week(s) fill June: How beach towns cope with more people, more problems|publisher=PennLive|date=June 4, 2019|url=https://www.pennlive.com/life/2019/06/high-school-senior-weeks-fill-june-how-beach-towns-cope-with-more-people-more-problems.html|access-date=June 7, 2019}}
In popular culture
The film The Graduates is about a group of high school graduates from Maryland who go to Ocean City, Maryland for Senior Week.{{cite news|last=Zak|first=Dan|title=Senior Week! Filmmakers Take On the Ocean City Ritual|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/22/AR2008052202615.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|date= May 25, 2008|access-date= April 2, 2014}}