By Julian Rosete and Sophia Xiao
Senior Honor Night was held on May 1 in the L-Building to celebrate the academic accomplishments of seniors who are graduating with magna cum laude (a GPA of 3.51 or higher) or were honored with a department award. Similarly, AVID Senior Night was held on April 18 in the L-Building to celebrate the AVID seniors and their four-year journey in AVID.
Both honor nights were formatted like a more intimate version of graduation, where seniors were called up one by one. AVID seniors received a certificate and a stole, while senior honorees received black chords.
“Besides graduation, (Senior Honor Night) is one of our final celebrations for seniors before they leave, and so it’s nice for their parents to get a chance to see them being acknowledged for all their hard work,” says Head Counselor Jill Shoopman, who organized the event.
AVID Senior Night was a night to appreciate those students that have committed to AVID for all four years. Each senior received a certificate and an AVID stole upon getting their name called.
“AVID honor night was a great experience especially when we were recognized for being in (the same) class together for the whole four years. Though there were a lot of ups and downs, we finally made it to the point where we move on (from our close peers and classmates),” says senior AVID student Jameena Sampan.
As per tradition, Senior Honor Night opened with a musical solo by senior honoree Nicholas Lam, who played the fast-paced “White Knuckle Stroll” by Casey Cangelosi on the marimba.
“It was nerve-wracking; actually I checked my heart, and it was 172 beats per minute,” said Nicholas. “I was surprised at myself because I thought I would mess up more by either getting lost or lose the rhythm, but I did the best I could in front of a crowd.”
At both nights, students were given the chance to dedicate a rose to someone who always supported them or was a role model to them. At AVID Senior Night, students were also given the chance to give a small speech thanking that special someone.
“My favorite part of the event was dedicating the rose to my family. It felt nice to show appreciation to them, since they’ve always supported me throughout my high school career,” says senior AVID student Allan Vien.
New this year at Senior Honor Night was the Eunice Jackson Scholarship Award, which was given to seniors Janelle Perez and Kelly Thich.
AVID students also received a certificate from the Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez
“(It was a) heartwarming experience that really motivated us to take what we’ve learned in AVID and use it in our next journey in life,” shares senior AVID student Angelo Payavala.
Senior Honor Night was organized by the counselors along with several junior honorees, who helped run the event. Similarly, AVID underclassmen honorees supported the seniors at AVID Senior Night, greeting parents at the entrance, helping to pass out certificates, handing out snacks and cleaning up afterwards.
“You know it’s probably been a rough four years trying to maintain their grades, so (Senior Honor Night is) kind of just to let them know that we appreciate all their hard work for their parents to be able to join in that celebration,” says Ms. Shoopman.
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