It’s common to feel a jolt of regret the first time a barista offers you a senior citizen discount or when an invitation to join the AARP arrives in the mail. But for those glass-half-full folks, discounts for travel, restaurants, gym memberships and other events and attractions that are offered only to those of a certain age are definite advantages.

Locally, many school districts also have an attractive offer for seniors. Seniors can attend school athletic events free. This is especially good news for those who have grandchildren or friends who are members of middle and high school teams, but also for anyone who enjoys watching enthusiastic and athletically talented young people engaging in their favorite sports.

Many seniors live in the same towns in which they grew up and attended school, so they especially enjoy watching the school teams to which they still feel personal allegiances. In many towns, high school football games are fall season community-wide events attracting all ages, for example.

Most school districts don’t actively market their free offer to local seniors. No mention is found of it on school websites for Stonington and East Lyme, for example. School officials in those towns said, however, any senior citizen who tells an athletic event ticket taker that they are a senior will be allowed into the game free.

While free is great no matter how it’s achieved, we prefer the method Waterford has established. In that town, the school district’s website prominently announces the policy and any senior can pick up a free pass at the local senior center. This allows seniors to show a pass instead of needing to announce they are a senior. This is a much more attractive option for those who might be sensitive about their age.

The town has distributed 18 senior passes this academic year in Waterford and it’s likely more will be requested as the basketball season heats up.

We congratulate Waterford and other school districts that offer this perquisite for senior citizens. We encourage any town not currently offering free admission to seniors to consider doing so. Property taxes paid by seniors support our schools, though their own children are grown. Given that, offering free admission is a nice token of goodwill that comes at a very small price.

The Day editorial board meets with political, business and community leaders to formulate editorial viewpoints. It is composed of President and Publisher Timothy Dwyer, Executive Editor Izaskun E. Larraneta, Owen Poole, copy editor, and Lisa McGinley, retired deputy managing editor. The board operates independently from The Day newsroom.