Assabet staff members wave to students during the school’s “Rolling Rally in the Valley” parade.
By Jesse Kucewicz, Contributing Writer
MARLBOROUGH – Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School began a week of celebration for its graduating senior class with its “Rolling Rally in the Valley” on May 28.
Assabet Assistant Principal, Patrick O’Rourke, said that after a great response when this event was first held last year, he knew that it would continue for years to come.
“We had to come up with a way to celebrate all the efforts [the seniors] made and to show our appreciation as a school,” O’Rourke said of the parade’s origins. “It worked so well that we moved forward with bringing it back as a newfound tradition out of the pandemic.”
Beyond the parade itself, a week of senior activities also included a drive-in movie night screening of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” on June 1, along with music and food for the graduating seniors. There was also the traditional senior breakfast held the morning of June 3. The week then concluded on June 4 with a graduation ceremony at Assabet’s Aztec Stadium.
Due to updated COVID-19 guidelines, these events saw fewer restrictions than initially anticipated. Assabet had drawn up plans to hold five separate ceremonies to reduce the size of the gatherings. But, with reopenings ramping up, all seniors got to walk June 4 in one combined ceremony.
“This class has lost the traditional events like a junior prom, sports in the fall and in the winter,” O’Rourke said. “So, this group has really gone through it, and to be able to get back together and resuming a regular lifestyle is amazing.”
