Seniors pose for pictures and stand around the tall Maypole, ready to catch their ribbons and tie them to the ground. Each year, Archer’s sixth-grade students dance around and weave the Maypole to close out the school year and welcome summer.  For seniors who have been Archer students since sixth grade, this setup ceremony is a full-circle moment from weaving their Maypole to preparing for the new Archer generations.

Twelfth Grade Dean of Culture, Community and Belonging Stephanie Nicolard said the ceremony is a gratifying way to culminate the seniors’ experience at Archer through a cherished tradition.

“Something really fun is that somebody will stand up … at the top of the Maypole and throw the ribbons down to students, and then seniors have to catch them. And then the ribbon that they catch, they will put into the ground and hammer in,” Nicolard said. “So it’s always funny to watch people try their very best to catch all of these ribbons. Of course, they will miss, there’s a lot of laughter, but it’s just a really beautiful way to give the seniors a role in setting up this tradition.”