Senior Week

Now Available! “Senior Week: Staying Safe in Ocean City” Virtual Program

For many years HC DrugFree has provided an annual Senior Week: Staying Safe in Ocean City program. Due to popular demand, we created this virtual learning experience for graduating high school seniors and their parents/guardians, but we feel it’s appropriate for anyone visiting Ocean City this summer.

HC DrugFree is NOT encouraging teens to vacation without their parents or adult supervision.  It is our hope that by providing this program, Howard County teens attending Senior Week will have additional information to make wise decisions and keep themselves and each other safe.

Parents, please take the time to view this important video with your teen between now and when the seniors leave for the beach.

Disclaimer: This video was created in Spring of 2021 so exact fines and laws are subject to change.

Download the Senior Week Flier

COVID-19 Update: The 2022 “Play It Safe” events in Ocean City have been cancelled.

Click on the images to view printable brochures.

Parents and Teens, Must Read: True Senior Week Stories Submitted by HoCo Residents

Summer ‘Play It Safe’ Program Ends After 30 Years

By Shawn Soper, The Dispatch March 17, 2022 OCEAN CITY – For three decades, Ocean City’s Play it Safe program provided fun, safe alternatives to countless recent high school graduates visiting the resort for Senior Week, but the amazing run is coming to a close. The Play it Safe program was borne out of the… Read more

Senior Week: 10 Tips Created by HCPSS Graduates Class of 2019

1. Have an idea of what snacks and meals to bring so you have enough food. Also, stay hydrated. 2. Wear sunscreen everyday and reapply often. 3. Check in frequently with someone at home so they know you are okay. 4. Use the buddy system. Do not go anywhere alone, especially at night. 5. If… Read more

HCPSS 2019 Grad Shares Her Senior Week Experience

During the day, we sat on the beach and hung out which was always fun. Sometimes we would play games in the sand like volleyball and football. But I wish I had known what a Senior Week party would be like prior to going to the beach. One night, a lot of people were going… Read more

Local Parent Urges Attendance at Senior Week Program

Last night I attended my first Senior Week: Staying Safe in OC program. When it concluded, all I could think about was that every family that goes near a beach needs to hear this valuable information! While the focus is to keep high school seniors safe as they celebrate their “rite of passage,” there were… Read more

Senior Week 2018: Through the Eyes of a Teen

Senior Week 2018: Through the Eyes of a Howard County Teen In partnership with the Ocean City Police, Ocean City Beach Patrol, Howard County Public School System and the PTSAs, HC DrugFree holds at least 2 Senior Week: Staying Safe in Ocean City programs each school year. Our goal is to prepare teens and parents for… Read more

8 Adults Reflect Upon Senior Week

 #8: Been through it (Senior Week) several times. A lot of drinking occurs throughout the week. Doesn’t matter what you tell them or how great, mature etc. your student is…it’s everywhere all week long. You have to prepare them to be safe, no jaywalking, stay together, check in etc. It is really hard to say no… Read more

After dangerous season in 2014, Ocean City hoping for calm seas this summer

By Scott Dance, The Baltimore Sun It’s the time of year when the sounds of crickets, lawn mowers and ice cream truck jingles fill the air. But at Peninsula Regional Medical Center in Salisbury, summer is marked by the whir of medevac helicopters. “It’s trauma season,” said Kari Cheezum, the hospital’s trauma program manager. Nearby… Read more

Senior Week 2014-Swimmer Dies in Ocean City; Officials Warn About Rip Currents

Ocean City swimmer dies after getting caught in rip current OCEAN CITY, MD Just over a week into Ocean City’s busy season, an 18-year-old victim who was rescued from the ocean yesterday has died. According to social media, Don Boma, of Burtonsville, Maryland was a Paint Branch High School graduate, and was in Ocean City… Read more