News broke recently that the beloved senior scavenger hunt scheduled for Tuesday, May 22nd is cancelled for the class of 2018 due to a lack of chaperones.  Students are both outraged and heartbroken at the statement that was released in the seniors group chat this morning.

The scavenger hunt—which has been a beloved tradition here at Bethpage High School for over a decade—is an annual trip into Manhattan for seniors who take Senior Seminar wherein students try to find and do things around the city according to a list, earning points for each task they complete.  The end-of-year tradition is a favorite among every class of students.

It seems the class of 2018, however, will not be given this memory.  The trip requires a certain number of chaperones so each group of students is kept safe and on track.  Mr. Lynch, the Senior Seminar teacher and trip organizer, cannot find enough chaperones for this year, according to students.

But why? Chaperones are difficult to enlist because of the trip’s length and safety risk; students will not return until the early evening, and watching a group of seniors in Manhattan is a huge responsibility.  Mr. Lynch stated “[it’s] always a struggle to find chaperones, but we usually get enough.” The shortage of teachers also has current juniors worried about next year’s hunt, but Mr. Lynch is “still going to try for next year.”

Although finding chaperones is challenging, there have always been enough—until this year.  Students are still hoping that more volunteers will appear, but the chances now are slim to none.  A chaperone is needed for every ten students there, so more than a dozen teachers are potentially needed. Many are already trying to see what they can do to resolve the situation, but teachers are the ones in demand if seniors have any chance at having the tradition they’ve earned.

Many other local districts have student-run scavenger hunts– an idea Bethpage students are already considering.  No plans to replace the trip are confirmed yet.