In John Hughes’s Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Ferris Bueller skips school for a, well, day off. Within the cultural zeitgeist, Ferris Bueller’s antics moved the needle—a revelatory cinematic moment in American culture. Notably, Hughes’s film became a catalyst, a true inspiration, for the proliferation of what is now a timeless high school tradition: Senior Skip Day.

Senior Skip Day (also known as Skip Day, Senior Day, Ditch Day, Senior Ditch Day, Cut Day, Senior Cut Day) is an annual day in which the graduating class of any given United States High School coordinates an en masse-skipping-of-school, taking an unexcused absence and for many, a dip into a more, rebellious side. Senior Skip Day has always existed, with some sources attributing its origins to the 1930s; however, Senior Skip Day in its more pure, modern form did not truly take off until the 1980s following the release of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Historically, Senior Skip Day often takes place either the day before, of, or after Prom. This year, Tallwood High School’s Class of 2026’s Senior Skip Day took place on May 22nd, 2026.

Over the past few decades, Senior Skip Day has ingratiated itself into what it means to graduate—a rite of passage for those escaping the confinement of high school, quotidian life. A day seeped in happy, fun times at the beach! However, for some students, Senior Skip Day is actually just Day—a day in school, like normal. This is an exploration into the minds of those seniors (or actually just one: Bradley).

Today, we are joined by senior Bradley Riehl. Mr. Riehl is sporting a beanie and a relaxed, slightly-oversized hoodie. His jeans are on the baggier end and have a certain vintage, distressed quality to them. (Overall an excellent, non-chalant fit). He has longer hair.

“Bradley, how are you feeling today?”

“Bored.”

Mr. Riehl is a man of few words. I liked that about him. Throughout my time chatting with him, he had a relaxed calmness. For seniors who attend school on Senior Skip Day, a diversity of reasons can be found. For some, their parents made them. For others, a dedication to education compels them. For Mr. Riehl?

“I just didn’t know. My mom actually asked me about that yesterday, ‘When’s your Senior Skip Day?’ and I had just said I don’t know. I told her I think it’s next week, or something.” Mr. Riehl (in classic Bradley-fashion) is not too upset about it, however. Laid-back guy. “I probably wouldn’t have even skipped if I had known. I don’t think I would have anything I would’ve done instead. School isn’t too bad.”

Mr. Riehl’s interview ended at 12:05 PM on May 22nd, 2026. Up to that point, he had attended his first block—Electronics with Mr. Mantay—and actually, in an ironic twist of fate, Mr. Riehl had needed to leave the building for something during second block and came back for third block. “My Electronics class doesn’t really have any seniors so I didn’t know it was Senior Skip Day.”

Mr. Riehl likes Mr. Matthew Denvir’s English 12 class. He says he enjoys the environment; he sits in the back and has a few buddies in this class. Today, he caught up on school-work.

I also asked about his post-graduate plans. “I’m thinking about trade school or maybe the military. Army aviation mechanic is what I’m looking at.” Mr. Riehl likes planes. Mr. Riehl has not given university too much thought—”I’m not really interested.” Even still, he enjoys school: “I like getting to learn something at the end of day. I like learning, depending on the subject.”

Mr. Riehl has one piece of advice for underclassmen: “Stay focused.”

Later in the interview, Mr. Riehl, Mr. Denvir, and I began discussing physical media/analog technology collection. Both Mr. Riehl and I are avid customers of Birdland Music and Vinyl. Mr. Riehl enjoys Mac DeMarco; his vinyl collection is also immaculate with works by Panchiko, Childish Gambino, Tyler the Creator, Weather Report, and Geese, to name a few. Mr. Riehl also enjoys collecting film cameras—I’ve been looking for a nice film camera and he put me onto comp. Apparently the CHKD thrift near Birdland is quite goated. Mr. Riehl also enjoys skateboarding.

At the end of the interview, I shared with Mr. Riehl a music artist I thought he would enjoy: Nick Drake. The somber, soft-spoken melodies of “Pink Moon” decorated our soundscape as the bell rang, sending my new friend to his fourth block.

Senior Skip Day holds an important place within the mythos of teenage Americana. It’s a tradition that almost every senior embarks on. *Almost, every. For some, like Mr. Bradley Riehl, Senior Skip Day is just another day of school.

I think it is easy to get caught up in envy—Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) as Gen Z has aptly called this feeling. However, I would argue that, in a way, those seniors skipping are also missing out. I admire Mr. Riehl’s go-with-the-flow attitude. It inspires me to live in the moment, and to enjoy the day at hand—not the day I could have had. I could not skip today, which I was annoyed about. But, y’know what—if I had skipped, I probably would’ve never made a new, interesting friend on this lovely, sullen and somber Friday morning.

I think sometimes we get caught up in the pace of modern life. Trends we need to participate in, cool-happenings we must attend. However, sometimes, maybe, the real joys of life are found not in a rebellion against daily life, but rather an embrace of that daily, seemingly mundane routine. To quote a teenage Ferris Bueller: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”