Amityville Memorial High School’s Class of 2018 had a day of bonding and sharing during the annual Senior Awareness Day program on Oct. 12. Following icebreaker activities at the high school, the group traveled to Amityville Beach for team-building exercises.

Special education teacher Jason McGowan, who organized the event, said it has been an annual tradition since 2005. Approximately 175 seniors, three-quarters of the senior class, participated in this year’s Awareness Day.

“This gives us the opportunity to come together,” said class President Jacob Marrero. “Getting along with other people is one of the key factors of being successful in life.”

There were several activities that required teamwork, and students were split into groups with people they might not normally interact with. They built human pyramids, played basketball and participated in a tug of war. In their “family groups,” students asked questions to learn more about each other. 

Senior Sabrina Tobin enjoyed they activities in which students had to find commonalities with each other, such as if they share a birthday month or like the same food. She said it was a good chance to bond before many of the traditional senior activities such as homecoming and prom.

Mr. McGowan said it is important for the seniors to create a sense of community that can serve as an example for the sophomores and juniors at the school. He added that Awareness Day was a prelude to Awareness Weekend in November, in which participating students will spend 30 hours together in the high school including an overnight stay.