“The seniors are coming! The seniors are coming!”
Students and faculty pour into St. Mary’s Hall preparing for the mob of white gowns that will be running in front of them with their new rings. All are awaiting this exciting moment that the seniors will remember as one of the best from their senior year.
The class of 2018 embraced this special moment that they have long awaited. These DHS students now have their senior rings.
Congratulating seniors as they run through St. Mary’s Hall, Sr. Pam Weathersby, M.S.C., turns Clara Garcia’s ring, a Dominican tradition for over fifty years. Every year, members of the DHS community gather to enjoy this exciting Ring Day tradition.
The class of 2018 received their rings at a ceremony in the Sr. Ambrose Regio Gym on Friday, Sep. 8, following a mass celebrated by Rev. John Restrepo, O.P.
“It is no coincidence that this year’s Ring Day is on the same day as the feast of Mary, our Mother,” said Mrs. Carolyn Favre (’70), principal of St. Mary’s Dominican High School. “The Blessed Mother is on the inside of the stone of the ring which reminds the seniors that they are saying ‘yes’ to this new chapter in their lives just as Mary said ‘yes’ to God.”
As part of the mass, the coordinators from the class of 2018 — Brooklyn Comeaux, Caroline Hensley and Mackie Smith — each gave a speech in memory of the year that they led their class.
“I do not want to focus on all the lasts,” said Comeaux, coordinator for eighth, sophomore and senior years. “Instead, I would like to focus on all the firsts that we will experience from here on out.”
“This is the first time that we get to wear blue sweaters, the first time we are the oldest class on campus,” Comeaux continued, “and the first time we get shiny new rings on our fingers that represents this bond we all share.”
The traditional running down the halls and turning of the rings is an especially anticipated part of Ring Day. According to senior Robyn Giraud, “There’s nothing better than the feeling of getting the ring you worked four long years for and getting to spend that moment with the school we all love so much.”
The excitement throughout Dominican was palpable. “I love seeing the joy on everyone’s faces, and it’s not just the seniors,” said Ms. Charlene Ford (’01), senior class coordinator.
“The whole school has a contagious feeling of joy.”
Ring Day is a personal favorite of Mrs. Favre. “It’s a great celebration. There’s a light-hearted and happy atmosphere,” she said. “The eighth graders are in such awe of their big sisters and are so excited to witness them running through the halls for the first time.”
“It was crazy seeing all the seniors sprint though the halls!” said eighth grader Julia Fluellen. “It was also a very emotional moment.”
With rings shining and smiles radiant, seniors Jeanine Halum, Nia Smith, Codee Jones and Brooke Davis show off their senior rings while dancing the night away at their Ring Dance at Jefferson Orleans South in Metairie.
The Class of ‘18 celebrated getting their senior bling that same evening with their Ring Dance at Jefferson Orleans South in Metairie. The seniors danced from beginning to end to some of their favorite tunes. One of their signature songs, “Don’t Stop Believin’,” brought the seniors together in a circle on the dance floor. “Dancing to this Journey song was special to us,” said senior Paige Dawson. “We began that tradition at our freshmen Rally Day, and it felt like the perfect way to end our Ring Day.”
Just as Comeaux mentioned in her coordinator speech during mass, the seniors want to “hold on to that feelin’” and cherish each moment that they will share together as a class. Comeaux spoke for the whole grade when she said, “We have a whole year full of new memories to create and stories to tell.”
– Kathryn Valldejuli
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