On September 12, 2017, the senior class found the spade under the Head of Schools Christian Sullivan’s couch, following a fairly short search. After this discovery, the seniors have been granted their privileges.

The senior class continued the 126-year-old tradition on Monday by finding the hidden spade. Class of ’17 alumna Aurora Hake visited the Upper School on the opening day, delivering the first of 25 clues to find the hidden spade. The seniors jumped on it right away by finding 11 clues in one day.

“We couldn’t find #8 for the life of us so we just said ‘Okay, every single Red Tie, we’re looking,’ and we all went around the building just looking in places that might have clues and that was when Carter [Eveskcige] and Rachel Piatok found number 25 under the podium that was where the Yellow Ties did their speeches for graduation,” said senior Kali McCoy.

“So the clue says to get into Dumbledore’s office, students need a password; to get your  privileges you’ll have to guess a similar password,” Piatok and McCoy said in tandem.

“We figured it was him because he’s like the British headmaster of our Hogwarts-like school,” Piatok recalled about realizing Mr. Sullivan was the Dumbledore the clue spoke of. McCoy, Piatok, and Addie Weeks found the spade taped underneath his couch.

The spade, the longest standing tradition at Annie Wright, began in 1891. Originally the Spade was used by the senior class to plant a tree. Millie Hubbard and Mary Kantz were the first to hide the spade for the next class of seniors to find in 1903. If the seniors do not find the spade by October 31, the class does not get senior privileges and is given a black tie. Only two senior classes in the history of the spade have done so.