Oklahoma Catholic high school marks 26 years of unusual freshman tradition
The school’s president connected the custom to the biblical commandment to honor one’s father and mother.
A Catholic high school in Oklahoma is marking 26 years of a first-day tradition centered on the bond between incoming freshmen and their parents.
At Bishop Kelley High School in Tulsa, seniors surround the freshmen’s cars and prevent them from getting out until they give a parent or guardian a goodbye kiss, CBS reported Aug. 14.
The tradition began in 2001, when the senior class replaced a first-day initiation built around pranks with the goodbye-kiss requirement, according to the outlet.
“We hold the car door, preventing it from opening,” one senior told the outlet.
Another senior described the welcome as a rite of passage shared by each class.
“It’s like initiation,” the student said. “We all did it.”
Sister Mary Hanah Doak, president of Bishop Kelley, reflected on both the students’ embarrassment and the meaning behind the tradition.
“I wouldn’t have wanted to kiss my mom as a freshman,” Sister Mary Hanah said. “But that rule, to honor thy mother and father, made the top 10 list for a reason.”
Sister Mary Hanah said the tradition takes on a different meaning for parents as their children begin high school.
“And you know who the happiest people are in this whole thing?” she said, “The mothers. This is a big moment for them, especially if this is their first child or their last child.”
Parents told CBS News that the tradition marked an emotional transition as their children entered high school.
“The moment you drive off after dropping them to school,” one parent said, “is when it hits you.”
“He gave me that kiss and I saw him leave,” another parent said, “and that meant I had to let go.”
