The Senior Experience

About The Senior Experience

Each year, students who are seniors come together as a group during their Senior Meeting time. They have influence over the planning for their Graduation, Prom and Senior Trip. Seniors are also invited to join Cotting’s President and members of our Senior Administrative Team for a special luncheon in the Boardroom. Each one of these events is coordinated by our Senior Class Advisor, who is a member of our faculty. Classroom teachers are also very supportive of our Seniors.

Most students at Cotting become seniors in their last full year at Cotting School. For our Massachusetts students, that is typically the last school year before they turn 22, or during if their 22nd birthday falls after May 15th. These students meet a variety of academic requirements in order to be approved for senior status.

Each year, the students vote on a Spring Senior Trip. Most years they vote to spend a few days in Florida with their friends and support from Cotting faculty and staff. The students enjoy being able to have recreation, leisure and social experiences with their friends and, in most cases, without their parents. This is a beloved Cotting tradition and our students look forward to it in the years leading up to their senior experience. This trip is open to all seniors.

Our seniors serve as a planning committee for the prom. They chose the theme, the music, the decorations and the dinner options. They carefully plan the aspects of this special event, which takes place on a Friday evening in May. All Upper School Students and Alumni are invited to participate in the prom. It is held at a nearby hotel and is highly anticipated each year. Students come individually, in pairs or in small groups. Although parents are responsible for transportation, this evening is supported by our staff so that students can enjoy their peers. Families often socialize nearby.

Our Graduation is a very special night in early June. Seniors prepare for this night by ordering caps and gowns, working on their words of wisdom, practicing music and selecting the Senior Class gift. On the night of graduation, Cotting faculty, staff and families join together to celebrate the Cotting journey and experience of each of the graduating seniors. It is a night of pomp and circumstance where our students are celebrated for their unique contributions to our community.