On Friday, Nov. 4th roughly one-third of the student body was absent, but the excitement of the Chicago Cubs’ 2016 World Series victory was not.

The Cubs’ World Series Parade was set to start at 11:00 a.m. and make its way to Grant Park by noon for a rally. Students were getting on trains as early as 5:00 a.m. to be sure they wouldn’t miss out on any of the excitement in the city.

The Boys’ Soccer and Girls’ Cross Country State Championships only added to the growing number of student absences. According to Principal Stephanie Posey, there were well over a thousand student absences, both excused and unexcused.

Despite some of the rumors that have been floating around the student body, Friday, Nov. 4th will count as an actual school day, therefore the absences will be put on record just like any other day.

“I was surprised by how many absences we had, but at the same time with our teachers who were here and our students who were here, we certainly put learning first,” Posey said.

NNHS math teacher Lynette Christenson described how in only her first three classes, at least 50 percent of her students were absent. Because it’s the student’s responsibility to catch up on notes, she personally did not change any lesson plans, but knows a few math classes had tests pushed from Friday to Monday. Christenson said teacher absences, many preplanned but also parade-inspired, kept teachers at school busy.

Of course, many students saw this parade as a historic moment for Chicago and did not want to miss out on such an event. Senior Allie Phillips attended school while most of her friends were absent for the parade, even after her Ceramics field trip to Navy Pier was canceled last minute.

“I definitely was not in a school mindset when I came in,” Phillips said.