Hair. Eyes. Ears. Masks.

When the Monarchs entered the Moore Pavilion at freshmen orientation in August of 2021, that is how they learned to recognize their new peers. Anxiously waiting for the COVID-19 mask mandate to be lifted was not exactly how they envisioned starting high school. Despite this uncertainty, they were brought together through a mock rally, which initiated the start of their journey at NDB.

Fast forward to May 2025, the Monarchs are soaking in their last moments together. Over the past month, they have enjoyed many senior events, starting with the Senior Prayer & Brunch on May 2 and continuing until the Senior Day of Reflection on May 19. Finishing high school is an especially bittersweet time, but these events have served as ways to bring the seniors and the NDB community together while also reflecting on their growth.

In their first semester of freshman year, the Monarchs gradually acclimated to the structure of high school. With most students having spent part of middle school on Zoom, they navigated through a unique transition from asynchronous to in-person classes. Many took popular visual and performing arts classes, like dance and sculpture, while also challenging themselves with Advanced Placement (AP) classes that were available to freshmen.

The second semester of freshman year, which was when masks became a personal choice, marked more opportunities to showcase their spirit at rallies and NDB’s most well-known spirit event: Aquacades. After the performers practiced their routines for hours on end, they wound up with a third-place finish. Though disappointed, they went into their sophomore year with more excitement and drive to bond with the NDB community – an observation that current senior Kaitlyn Raul highlighted.

“I think everyone’s pretty comfortable with each other … I think there’s something really special with how you can connect to your teachers and even people you [aren’t] that close with,” said Raul. “I’ll probably miss … the tight-knit community [the most].”

Throughout their second year, the Monarchs turned from a shyer bunch to an outspoken, bold one. Many introduced themselves to the staff of the Epicurean Group, who serve meals to students, then and still find joy in greeting them now as seniors. They were often eager to share their ideas in class and be creative with costumes during spirit weeks.

“Just seeing the growth that everyone has had as a class, as a whole, and the confidence and … the maturity that you all built, has been really awesome,” said Senior Class Coordinator Kate Mahoney.

Coming into junior year, many joined leadership boards and integrated into roles like club presidents, asserting themselves as upperclassmen. Coffee and energy drinks filled the halls and classrooms to help them juggle their commitments, but so did excitement over traditions like the Junior Ring Ceremony, the Kairos retreat and prom. They quickly learned that balance is key, and time management became even more important heading into college application season.

During the summer before their senior year, many Monarchs enrolled in Dean of Academic Advisement Kristi Rossi’s college application workshop to begin drafting their personal statements. With many seniors taking rigorous course loads in the fall semester, squeezing time into their days for perfecting their applications brought new challenges.

“[College applications] were a lot harder than I was expecting to be, with all my supplementals and stuff written,” shared senior Emma Slocum. “I feel like I had good support, and it was a bit hard to manage with the first semester of senior year. But, it definitely taught me about time management and that getting stuff done earlier is better because rushing that stuff is not fun.”

The Monarchs can collectively agree that playing the “waiting game” to hear back from colleges heightened anxieties about their futures, but it made the satisfaction of accepting their admission to attend a specific college that much more rewarding.

Slocum, the class historian, runs the college decisions page on Instagram. Once a student submits their plans and a baby photo through the Google Form linked in the profile’s biography, she features them, allowing their peers to repost it and comment words of praise.

“It’s so fun … [to] make all these fun little posts and seeing people get really excited about them is super rewarding,” added Slocum. “It’s cool to see [in] one place of like where everyone’s going to be going for the next four years. Everyone’s doing something different somewhere different.”

Graduation is bittersweet, but the Monarchs have left their mark and are excited to embark on their post-NDB plans.