The last day of summer brought Palatine’s seniors to the school’s front steps, chalk dust on their fingers and laughter in the air. In a tradition that spans generations, they filled the entrance with color, signatures, and messages — an early farewell to the halls they’ll soon leave behind.

“It’s really sad to have my last first day of school tomorrow,” said Sammie Kendrick, a senior Red Ryder who helped host the event. “I made so many memories from freshman to senior year and am sad to say that is the beginning of the end of my chapter here at Palatine.”

However, these Pirates didn’t seem sad in the slightest — instead, they were smiling and spending time with friends on the last day of summer break. Something Palatine traditions hold at their core is making each event personal and fun for everyone involved.

“It’s my senior year and I got to make it count,” senior Patrick Bergl said. “I look forward to different senior events like this and just spending time with my friends.” 

While everyone was signing their names in the chalk, the air was filled with laughter, jokes and lively energy. Everyone was spending time together as a senior class, meeting new people, seeing old friends and discussing plans for their final year.

“I am so happy to be with my friends and everyone around me one last time before school starts,” said Jordan Collins, a senior signing his name in chalk. “To look down tomorrow at the chalk and just know I had an amazing time seeing new faces and laughing with old ones.”

One aspect many seniors mentioned was that this tradition has a deeper meaning to them than just spending time with friends. 

“Writing my name down shows how I was a part of the school and the senior class, and how we left our mark as all the seniors before us had as well,” said Alicia Moten, a senior participating in the event.

For years, students have entered Palatine’s halls for the first time, their eyes drawn to the signed names of seniors displayed by the entrance.

“It’s weird, like we have been coming into Palatine High School for the past three years and would see how other seniors write their names and now it’s our turn to leave our mark and sign off that we have made it through this journey,” senior Michael Ham said.

These seniors have carried three years of memories through Palatine’s halls. Now, with chalk in hand, they’ve begun their last journey — one that will end where it began, at the school’s front doors.