Each year the Staples seniors drive loudly and proudly up the Compo Beach driveway with focus on getting to the homecoming football game. In 2020, like many other things, that didn’t happen. The homecoming game festivities were nixed while the motorcade was postponed until today. Although not heading to homecoming, the group of teenagers gathered their friends and loaded into open air vehicles to cheer on their peers as the boys lacrosse team battled against Trumbull High School on the Wreckers field.

The group gathered at Compo Beach at 2:00 PM today to organize the parade towards their North Avenue high school, with dozens of vehicles streaming through the gates after having their beach parking sticker checked. Westport Police Department officers and Parks & Recreation staff members were on-scene for the event, which is not sanctioned by the Westport Public Schools and not an approved event by the Westport Police Department. However the un-official tradition kicked-off as the clock struck 2:45 and the groups of teens got into their respective vehicles - some in seats, others in the beds of pickup trucks or trunks of drop-top convertibles.

In a year when many young people struggled to see their friends and celebrate their accomplishments in person, passersby stopped to cheer on the graduating class - one woman exclaiming how excited she was to “just see kids smiling again.”

Safety has always been a concern for the un-official event - as many are without safety belts while inexperienced drivers remain behind the wheel. Today, shortly after the procession left Compo Beach, first responders rushed to the area of Compo Road North and Post Road East for the report of a person down with possibly serious injuries after falling from a moving vehicle. There was no information released about what caused the accident or the extent of injuries sustained during the fall.

In a year when so many events were cancelled, the Staples High School Seniors reclaimed one of their favorite traditions as they made the drive to school today. The event has served as a rite of passage for thousands of Westport teenagers - it’s fate now unknown after this year’s accident.