This past Tuesday, June 7, the Class of 2017 had their annual senior skating party at the Cherry Hill Skating Center. The senior skating party has been held for several years as a way to celebrate the end of senior year before the seniors part their separate ways for college.

Any senior who attends Cherry Hill High School East was invited to attend the celebration. As a result, hundreds of graduating seniors showed up to the event ready to skate and mingle with their peers.

The seniors skating party opened its doors for the seniors beginning at 8 p.m. and allowed seniors to arrive continuously until 9 p.m., when the skating center shut its doors for new attendees. The skating party was free to all seniors who showed up at the Cherry Hill Skating Center, with an additional $3.00 fee to those who wanted to rent out skates.

The Cherry Hill Skating Center is managed and run by Mr. Rich Mann, who has participated in providing the center for the seniors for many years. Mann says that he likes to host these senior skating parties for East as he used to work as a Physical Education teacher throughout many of the Cherry Hill Public Schools.

As a result, the seniors are offered reduced skate rental fees and are able to use the entire skating center as a private event.

As soon as the doors opened up to the seniors, flocks of students ran right to the skate rental line, got their skates, and buckled up to prepare for the rink.

Because the senior skating party was treated like a private event, the entire rink soon filled up with the Class of 2017. The skating center played popular music across the rink as seniors showed off their skating skills.  Many seniors also showed up wearing white and neon colors, as the skating center put on the black lights across the rink, giving a glow effect.

As the night progressed, students seemed to keep on piling in. The senior skating party also catered to those who did not wish to skate. The skating center offered several arcade games and a snack stand with ample seating so that seniors could socialize with one another. Many of the students brought along their yearbooks in hopes of giving and receiving signatures from peers they did not get to see previously, or many not see again.

After a long skating period, arcade-game playing, and yearbook signing, the annual senior skating party came to an end at around 10:30 p.m., with many seniors staying until the last minute. The skating party was intended to unite all the seniors and to give them a chance to socialize to those they might have never talked to. Among those who stayed was Leon Pintel (’17), who enjoyed her night.

“This night was so much fun,” Pintel said. “It was a great way to bring together everyone one last time before graduation, and it will be a night I will never forget.”