As the grading period for the last nine weeks has been extended, the students of this school year will no longer have a Celebration of Learning day. 

In previous years, students have held this celebration during the last week of school which acts as an opportunity for students to be rewarded for all of their accomplishments and diligence throughout the school year by playing games, partaking in food trucks and putting on a talent show.

“After the COVID pandemic, we had a group of Student Council kids who wanted to create an opportunity for students to build community,” Student Council teacher, Anna Ray, said. “They came up with the idea of a high school version of field day. It started out small but then grew over the years and became a fun tradition that we could use to celebrate the hard work of each member of the Ranger Nation. This year it will be different because we will not have the opportunity to celebrate in this manner.” 

The event evolved over time into a large-scale, schoolwide celebration. 

“In the past we had food trucks, bounce houses, and activities in and outside,” Samad Abdur Razzaaq, said. “We had a junior/senior and sophomore/freshman shift. There were board games in classrooms, movies in the gym, and outside there were the dunking booths and carnival games.”

Each Celebration of Learning Day was carefully planned out by the school admin and student council to encourage students to connect and have fun. However, this year was different. 

“First of all, student interest wasn’t there,” Razzaaq said. “Meeting with people, keeping our finger on the pulse that student interest wasn’t exactly as high as it’s been. I think we are one of two or the last campus to have it. Looking at safety and logistics we decided it would be a better use of time and resources to do something else.”

After much discussion, due to all of these factors, teachers administrators and student leaders decided that the celebration would not take place this year. Maintaining the quality of learning along with student participation in the event had to work hard in hand for this tradition to continue. Both factors simply declined this time around.

“With the attendance issues we have had consistently in the past and education being our top priority, we have had to disregard it this year,” Senior class president, Kyra Dornich, said.

Students neglecting to attend the last few weeks of school in the past and ongoing attendance issues this year contributed to the decision to extend the grading period, which ultimately led to the event’s cancellation. As a result, some students, especially seniors, were left disappointed.

“But with all the fun events we have worked with our admin to organize we hope to still keep student morale up,” Kyra Dornich, 2026, said. 

Although students may have been frustrated with the decision, they still have much to look forward to. Many groups work diligently to make each year special and have continued to plan activities. This year is particularly eventful for seniors. 

“Our PTSA has been extremely active in other events Senior Bonfire, Winter Movie Night, Six Flags, and even providing In-n-Out,” Samad Abdur Razzaaq, said. 

However, these events do not fully replace the sense of unity created by a school-wide celebration.

“I would say not having a celebration of learning is difficult for a lot of kids this year. With the closing of the school year it’s something to look forward to that pushes you to finish out the year on a high note. It’s a physical way of bringing all the effort, late nights, and hard work together to shape into something really fun and rewarding,” Kyra Dornich, 2026, said.

Out of all who were impacted by the loss of the event, those leaving the school this year will be the most affected. They have been awaiting their last celebration for multiple years and have the most to commemorate before graduation. 

“Not having a Celebration of Learning day this year might affect all students at Lone Star, but especially the Class of 2026,” Ray said. “We will end the school year without this celebration and therefore students will miss out on some final opportunities to share in celebrating their hard work and community building. Yes they can still build community in their classrooms but it’s different because they are secluded to only students in their classes.”

As the school adjusts to the change, staff emphasize that other events will continue throughout the year, even as one long-standing tradition comes to an end.