As the end of the school year approaches, the senior mentors a part of SSP (sophomore-senior program) are putting together an end of the year picnic to celebrate the year. Both the sophomores and senior mentors from all three lunch periods will get together on Tuesday, May 21 during fifth and sixth hours.

“The SSP picnic is kind of the last time all of our lunches can get together and for the seniors to get to see the sophomores one last time as a whole,” senior Cayley Ebeling said. “We get to play games with them and celebrate the end of the school year.”

During the picnic, the three lunches will compete against each other in a number of activities including tug of war, kickball, and corn hole. Additionally, there will be a lot of food and drinks for the lunches to share.

“I have a lot of friends that aren’t in my lunch so it will be nice to get to spend time with them,” sophomore Olivia Hayes said.

SSP is a program in which a select group of seniors chosen by the staff to help incoming sophomores transition into high school. The sophomores and mentors meet Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays during A, B, and C lunch to eat lunch and play games as a group.

“Since we are new to the school, it’s nice to have seniors who can give us advice about the school while also having fun,” sophomore Nicolina Opoka said.

There are a total of 19 senior mentors divided between lunch periods along with teachers Julie Wright, John See, Tammy Hilliard, and Diane Buchi to supervise.

“My favorite thing about being a mentor is being able to interact with the underclassmen and forming a bond,” senior Jacob Hutson said. “It’s really enjoyable to be able to spend time with the other SSP mentors as well.”

Each lunch also received different colored shirts to differentiate themselves at the picnic.