Community Spirit

Sample of the 6 a.m. wake-up songs sung by students to awaken the seniors being honored as part of the May Day celebration.

In the words of one Simmons Alumna, “One thing which makes Simmons so much a college with a real spirit is our traditions. {...} The mention of any one of them brings back so vivid a picture that I feel homesick, or perhaps I should say ‘college sick’, for Simmons. Although I enjoyed them at the time, I did not realize how much traditions form a series of links between class and class, making a college body”. (The Simmons Review, vol. III, No. 4; Feb. 1925; p. 122)

The importance of building this community through such events as May Day was not overlooked as the tradition progressed. As Simmons continued to become an institution that attracted commuter students, special accomodations were created for these students. Soon dorm rooms were made available through sign-up sheets for commuter students to stay in the night prior to the May Day festivities.  

The importance of campus traditions, particularly at the turn of the century, is not only felt by participants but recognized today. The importance of May Day as a way to build community spirit was recognized when Simmons, whose long standing tradition with May Day, was selected to participate in filming a May Day scene in the 2003 Julia Roberts film, Mona Lisa Smile. Simmons students, familiar with the traditions, were selected as extras to bring the May Day of the past to life.