Walking through the ominous third-floor stench or sipping on thick fountain water after lunch, Jackson-Reed never fails to provide a set of niche and absolutely unforgettable traditions. As the Class of 2025 approaches the finish line, here’s a checklist of the most essential bucket list items every student must tackle before wrapping up their time at Jackson-Reed.

1. Eat lunch in Ms. Postler’s room. She has the best chats about the Bachelor and a perfect space to catch up on mid-day work.
2. Create a last-minute club to add to your college resume, or even better, attend one! Classics include drink-tasting groups (coffee, hot chocolate, or tea), craft clubs, or music societies. Artificial and easy but mildly impressive to admissions!
3. Sit in the cafeteria. Embrace the chaos of the lunch line or enjoy the daily fight to secure meals in the microwave. Sometimes you can catch a bird circling leftovers on the floor or witness a small mouse scurry by!
4. Attend a JR Football game… I hear we are on the up this year?
5. Become friends with at least one non-teacher staffer (Mr. Boone is a fan favorite). It’s always nice to see a friendly face when walking through security.
6. Attend the SGA events. Trust they are so fun.
7. Drink from a water fountain. The third floor has the best chilled water but for maximum chunkiness, hit up the second floor.
8. Sign up to be the Tiger mascot. Someone needs to redeem the grade in the next pep rally. 
9. Try school breakfast. The muffins are to die for. 
10. Buy a kid superhero backpack at Target and bring it to school
11. Add a Mr. Vela class to your schedule. I promise you do not want to graduate without being taught by Mr. Vela at least once in your JR career. His Spanish lectures are life-changing. •