Class of 2023 adds color to senior year
Tradition gives students opportunity to bond
October 2, 2022
Every year, the incoming seniors paint the wall on the athletic shed after graduation with a design that is unique to each class. This year, the seniors decided on a silhouette of Michael Jordan, correlating his jersey number with their graduating year — ‘23.
Senior Anna Becker said the tradition is a good way for students to carry on their legacy and pass it down to future classes.
“We’ve been doing this for about 50 years. There’s so many years of paint on this wall,” Becker said. “Continuing with that tradition was really important, especially because I got to help organize it.”
Looking forward to her last year in high school, senior Anna McCallon believes that painting the wall gives students a chance to bond as they prepare for their final year.
“It’s a really great way to bring our class together and for everybody to leave their mark on the school before they leave,” McCallon said. “It’s just fun for our whole grade to hang out together, since there aren’t many opportunities like that.”
Senior Jordan Dolinar said that despite the lack of organization compared to previous years, she is still happy she could be a part of the tradition.
“During the last few years, it’s usually been more organized,” Dolinar said. “I’m still glad we got to at least be a part of it, even if it’s not the same as it has been in the past.”
With their futures after high school approaching, McCallon said that the design the seniors chose was an accurate representation of this years’ graduating class.
“We chose Michael Jordan to be on the wall because he’s an inspiration for a lot of students,” McCallon said. “He’s a good example of someone who a lot of us should aspire to be like after graduation and it just worked out well because his number is ‘23.”
Becker believes that painting the wall is a tradition that will last for many years to come, even if other Park traditions don’t.
“We’ve let go of some of our St. Louis Park traditions throughout the years and this is one of the ones that I hope that every class gets to do,” Becker said.
