(June 17, 2003) -- "My son was sick." "My daughter had a doctor's appointment." The excuses seemed transparent, as every parent's voice seemed to say, "Please excuse my senior for an absence on Mar. 3."

While Clark prepared for a shortened banking day the first Monday of March, approximately 97 seniors had other plans.

An e-mail was sent out the weekend before Senior Ditch Day to much of the class, specifically outlining the day's schedule. Although the e-mail asked for seniors to forward it along to their peers so that the word would get out quicker, many already knew about Ditch Day weeks ahead of time.

Seniors partaking in the age-old tradition met in Glendale at the International House of Pancakes (IHOP) for breakfast around 9:30. There, jokes Nane Zadouri, they "saw the real seniors," referring to senior citizens also eating at IHOP.

After breakfast, the group set out to Huntington Beach. The trip wasn't as easy as meeting at IHOP, however. Since most seniors carpooled, a few of the drivers got lost on the way, causing groups to arrive at different times.

Despite navigational mishaps, ditchers had a great time at the beach. Whether wadding in the cold water, visiting local surf shops or gathered around the bonfire, Zadouri describes it as "a day well spent."

According to Celeste Nibley, the day was enjoyable because "a lot of people who don't usually hang out together got together and had a lot of fun." Kristin Tiffany felt similarly about Senior Ditch Day, saying that it gave her "a chance to see what people are really like outside of school."

On the other hand, some seniors chose not to join their peers at IHOP and Huntington Beach. Hrant Bairamian says that he didn't know it was Senior Ditch Day, but "just ditched" anyway. Rory Alegria and Drew Atwater saw a movie, Danielle Baker joined friends outside of Clark for a bonfire at Zuma Beach, and Ruben Sislyan and Arin Arakelian just "chilled" in Beverly Hills. According to the two, they're "always chillin'."

Certain seniors, however, simply couldn't afford to participate in Senior Ditch Day. Besides having tests, quizzes, important lessons or presentations scheduled on the cleverly chosen '03-03-03' date, Advanced Placement English teacher Melanie Martin took 30 points off the grade of any senior absent that Monday.