With senior year drawing to a close, the school is preparing a series of special events to bid the graduating students farewell. Aside from the graduation ceremony and party, seniors also get to purchase the Senior Video and take a day off from school at the beach.
Senior Beach Day
On June 5, seniors will strap on beachwear and sunscreen as they leave school for beach day at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., seniors will be able to enjoy the famous amusment park and beach.
“At Beach Day, we will be having our own area for the Saratoga seniors,” said assistant principal Karen Hyde. “We have seniors be pretty much by themselves, and we will have teachers volunteer and some parents to help take watch.”
Graduation
On June 12, seniors will spend one final evening celebrating their exit from high school and their entrance into college. Graduation proceedings start at 6 p.m. include a performance by the Saratoga High band and several speeches by students.
After the graduation ceremony, Grad Night festivities go until 5 a.m. the next day.
“The Grad Night party offers seniors and their parents a time of fun, a time of closure and a time of remembering, well wishes and good-byes,” said Grad Night co-chair Maya Baba. “It is an opportunity for the seniors to share one final night together before going their separate ways.”
Parents transform the quad, cafeteria, gym and restrooms into a fun zone with entertainment, games, prizes and food. According to Baba, the setup and decorations are all done in secrecy, so the graduates are pleasantly surprised when they enter the quad for Grad Night. Parent volunteers will chaperone the event, trying to give seniors a safe and sober night.
As of now, Grad Night prices stand at $225 per senior to cover costs of the elaborate affair.
Senior Video
Recently, students have been creating memorable videos for submission to the Senior Video for the Class of 2008. This video, created by seniors Chris Campbell, Colin Daniel and Paul Severeijns and junior Neil DeVera and overseen by media teacher Tony Palma, will be shown to all graduating seniors at the end of Grad Night.
“At this point we have footage we’ve collected throughout the year, and now we’re looking at footage that people can donate to the video,” said Palma. “We’d like to encourage people to bring in any videos or photos.”
According to Palma, the video would be ideal for use in a student reunion. Copies will be sold for an estimated price of $20.
“The video serves as a reminder of what they were doing, what interests they had, what was popular—kind of like a time capsule,” said Palma. “It is a good indication of where we were and where we’re at, a documentary through video and imagery of what the seniors’ lives were like.”