The Ivy Exercises

Class of 1958 President plants ivy during the Ivy Exercises

The Ivy Exercises was a relatively brief ceremony at the very end of the academic year as a parting activity by the Senior Class. Scheduled in the late afternoon on Class Day, ivy was traditionally planted at a designated point along the foundation of a dormitory or the Refectory, with the class year carved in stone.

The earliest record of the Ivy Exercises can be found in the 1908 Class Day and in that year’s edition of Microcosm. Details of the ceremony first appear in the June 1910 Simmons Quarterly. The Exercises were scheduled for 5 pm on Class Day, June 21. An Ivy Speech was to be delivered by the President of the Senior Class, and the Junior Class President was also to deliver a speech upon receiving the spade from the Senior Class. No mention was made of an “Ivy Song,” but publication of the words to the “Ivy Song,” attributed to Theodora Kimball, appear in the 1908 Microcosm. There is no record of the singing of the “Ivy Ode” until 1912.

The ceremony underwent slight changes in 1915, with the ceremony following the Senior Promenade, held in the Refectory the day before Class Day. They also hosted an “Ivy Dance” following the Peace Pageant.

This tradition continued until approximately 1968, when many colleges became aware of the danger climbing ivy poses to buildings.