Near the end of May, the senior class of LBHS completed a survey regarding a few propositions put forth by Senior Class President Joey Ravenna. The survey collected contact information for the organization of future reunions, proposed a change to the structure of speeches during the graduation ceremony and contained questions regarding a potential class gift.
The first part of the survey solicited contact information in order for students to maintain the bonds they have created over the years as Laguna Beach students.
“Laguna Beach is an incredibly tight-knit community, and as a result, most of us in the Class of 2018 have known each other for most of our lives. It would be such a loss to fall out of contact with these people who some of us have known since preschool,” said Ravenna.
In the future, students will be notified through text or email regarding upcoming reunions and events. The vision of the current ASB is to add a five-year reunion for alumni. This particular event will ensure lively discussions of recent college experiences, graduations and newfound hopes for future careers.
“I think it is important to stay close with those people who many have spent years with within the school district because this will always be an important part of our childhood,” said senior Audrey Duffy.
The second section of the survey proposed the addition of a 6-minute joint speech at the Class of 2018 Graduation Ceremony, allowing both the Senior Class President and ASB President to share the honors. Per tradition, the valedictorian presents a four-minute speech that is followed by another four-minute speech by a student speaker chosen by the LBHS administration.
“Two-hundred seniors responded to this poll from our class of 263, which is a voter turnout of 76%. Of these 200 students, 182 voted ‘Yes, I agree’ in response to the suggestion of adding this speech. The proposition to add this joint speech from the Senior Class President and the ASB President received 91% support from seniors in our class,” said Ravenna.
After reviewing the survey results with Principal Dr. Allemann in a meeting on May 30, ASB learned that the proposition would not be approved and that the traditional speech structure would be preserved. The principal had not been consulted prior to the survey being conducted and decided that maintaining school tradition from previous years was in the best interest of this year’s commencement speech format.
“We have worked very hard this year as an admin team to be very interactive and engaging with students, especially those in ASB,” said Dr. Allemann. “Surveys and petitions don’t make change— face-to-face conversations among stakeholders, along with sharing and respecting perspectives, leads to meaningful change and understanding.”
The third and final section of the senior survey allowed students to weigh in regarding the purchase of a class gift for the LBHS campus.
“One-hundred-and-ninety voted ‘Yes, I agree’ in response to the suggestion of a gift from the Class of 2018. Ten voted ‘No, I disagree.’ This means that the proposition for a gift from the Class of 2018 received 95% support from seniors in our class,” said Ravenna.
The gift would be funded by the ASB bank account reserved for the Class of 2018. Currently, that funding has a total of $560 set aside due to successful senior shirt sales in the first semester. In the survey, seniors pitched many ideas regarding what class gift would serve as the most suitable symbol of gratitude. ASB will work with high school administration in the near future to determine what’s most appropriate.
“We want to give back to our school for all that they gave us. I’d like to give something that will benefit future generations,” said senior Luc LaMontagne.