As the 2023-24 academic year comes to a close, NASH seniors are actively preparing for their vacation during senior week, or as many refer to it, “sweek” — and the favorite destination this year is Ocean City, Maryland.
“I chose Ocean City for my vacation because my family and I go there all the time, so I am familiar with the area,” senior Ty Iwanonkiw said. “There are plenty of fun activities to participate in down there.”
For many seniors, Ocean City offers the best experience thanks to the wide variety of retail establishments, restaurants, and arcades — all found along the beach’s boardwalk, which spans around three miles.
Addy Celender will be one of many exploring the famous boardwalk this summer.
“I’m very excited to have one last trip with all of my friends before we have to leave each other for college,” Celender said. “I hope it’s going to be one to remember.”
Another aspect that attracts tourists to Ocean City is the town’s history. The Coast Guard constructed a station on the shores in Maryland in 1878. According to Ocean City officials, the station was located conveniently in order to attend to shipwrecked victims in the Atlantic Ocean. These veterans were some of the first to reside in Ocean City, but by the turn of the 20th century, the population increased significantly.
1900 brought the town’s first wooden boardwalk along the beach, but the planks of wood did not remain during the fall and winter. Construction workers would annually remove the boardwalk and store the wood during the off-season and then replace it in time for the summer season.
This is also when the town’s first amusement park, Trimper’s Rides, opened. It still operates to this day, another reason that feeds into seniors’ desire to spend their “sweek” in Ocean City.
“I’m so unbelievably excited to spend a week with my best friends,” senior Anna McKeown said. “Spending a week with my best friends in a fun house will for sure be worth the wait.”
With any luck, the sun will be shining when NASH seniors hit the beach following commencement.
