Final year students who took part in a day of truancy from the Berkeley Institute have been ordered to do extra community service or be barred from their graduation ball.

Principal Michelle Simmons told The Royal Gazette: "A couple of weeks ago some of our S4 (senior four) students took the day off from school, without permission.

"They call it a 'ditch day'. Their punishment is that they must do 20 more hours of community service this week or forfeit participating in the graduation ball — and the cotillion — on the evening of graduation."

Senior ditch day — or skip day as it is sometimes known — is a tradition in some American and Canadian high schools where members of the senior class excuse themselves from school on a predetermined day, usually before sitting final exams.

Earlier this week, a Berkeley student copied this newspaper a letter they wrote to Mrs. Simmons urging her not to stop this year's culprits attending graduation.

The anonymous student, who signed themselves 'Berkeleylite', wrote: "My whole high school career, I have looked forward to the day when I saw all my friends in their caps and gowns, and at the graduation ball.

"By not allowing the people who have been with us since the start of our career as high school students to graduate, I feel that you are robbing us — the ones who are participating — of a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

"I would be highly disappointed if the graduation ceremony, that I have waited for my whole life, were to be tarnished by the fact that so many of my classmates will not be a part of it, because of one bad choice they made."

Mrs. Simmons said students would only be prevented from attending the graduation ball if they failed to carry out the extra community service. "It really depends on some things that happen around here," she said.

The student said they did not condone senior ditch day but suggested it was a tradition looked forward to by those about to leave school.

"I understand how you feel about some of the members in my year level's decision to make the wrong choice and attend senior ditch day," wrote the student.

"I too am disappointed by their utter disobedience and poor judgement." The letter went on: "It is... our last chance to get the immaturity out of our system before we leave Berkeley and enter the 'real' world.

"Senior ditch day is the alternative to having a school picnic and I think that if the school allowed us to go on more outings as a year group and gave us more time to bond in a relaxed environment, there would be no need or desire for a senior ditch day.

The 2008 Berkeley Institute graduation ceremony takes place at 10 a.m. on June 30 at the Heritage Worship Centre on Dundonald Street.