With graduation quickly approaching, a week to celebrate the Class of 2023 from May 15 to May 19 has been planned before the seniors take their final high school exams.

“I’m not worried about my senior exams; luckily most of my exams are already over. In my AP class, I took the AP test, so I don’t have to take an actual exam,” senior Leah Holden said. “The only one to worry about is the English one, but I think I can handle that no worries. ”

The week will include spirit wear, with the seniors wearing pajamas on Monday, college attire on Tuesday, red for fire or blue for ice on Wednesday, Utica senior shirts on Thursday, and black and orange on Friday. This year’s theme for prom is Fire and Ice.

“My decorator and I meet at the beginning of the school year and decide a theme together,” senior adviser and teacher Tammy Hilliard said. “Half the room will be in red and gold, and half the room will be blue and silver or white. I am very excited this year over the decorations, and I hope all the seniors will love it.”

Despite Hilliard’s love for the theme, seniors have mixed feelings.

“I know some people aren’t a fan of the theme, but I believe it has its potential,” senior Jonathan Thorne said. “I was already planning on wearing a blue tuxedo so I’m happy that it fits in with the theme. I think it could be cool to see couples wearing blue and red.”

Choosing a color to wear Wednesday to go along with the prom theme isn’t the only competition planned. Tuesday is also Hush Day for senior boys, which is a change from the original plan of having both genders’ hush day on the same day. Black beads will be passed out by the front entrance at the start of the day, and the goal is for senior girls to get the boy’s beads by getting that person to talk to them.

“I am excited for hush day. I plan on pretending to have a question or an important thing for me to say to them,” senior Isabel Lee said. “I want to let the guys forget that it’s hush day so I can get their beads.”

On Wednesday, Prom ticket sales begin during all lunches in room and it is the girls’ turn to keep quiet for their Hush Day. Students can choose their seats ad who they would like to sit with.

Wednesday night, students that received an invitation to Honors Night will gather in the auditorium at 6:30 for the event, which begins at 7:00. Family members are also invited to attend the event, which will honor seniors for everything from being a valedictorian to earning an honor cord. Many of the honors will be a surprise for the seniors, as they were not told what awards they will receive.

“I think that Honors Night is a great way of appreciating Utica’s scholars,” senior Teuta Sinishtaj said. “There are a lot of students who work really hard their entire high school careers, and it’s nice that they are recognized for their work.”

Thursday will begin and end early for the seniors, with a breakfast in the cafeteria during first hour, and a Senior Sunset on the football field.

“I was tardy to the sunrise, but I think that the sunset is a way better idea. I was very tired because of how early the sunrise event was,” senior Kase Filipowicz said. “Some of us got bored and wound up leaving early, so having it later at night is a good idea. I think it will be better because we will have more energy, and they’ll have games so we can hang out with our friends. ”

Senior sunset will include a speech from Joe Show. Seniors are encouraged to bring blankets, chairs, and sports balls. Though there is no set time, people should plan on arriving at 8.

“I wanted to speak to my fellow seniors one last time before graduation and reflect on our time here at Utica,” Show said. “I’m going to talk about our time in high school and how we can use it to set us up for college and our future. It’s an honor to speak at this event because I get to speak in front of my senior class and talk about all the good times we had.”

The week ends with Black and Orange day, although many seniors admit they will be participating in an unofficial skip day.

“I won’t be at school on the skip day,” senior James Johnson said. “I will be traveling to southern Michigan with my buddy to put a truck on a trailer and bring it back to Shelby.”

The following week will include exams for hours 4-6 on Thursday, May 25, and hours 1-3 on Friday, May 26. The Class of 2023 will then head out to the back field for a picnic that includes a DJ, food, a dunk tank with staff members inside, and inflatable games.

“Enjoy every minute!” Hilliard said. “It goes by so fast and you really want to enjoy your last few weeks of high school.  Stay on task and finish out your academic school year as best as you can.”