Prom highlights: a busy Senior Week
From Pink tutus to inflatable gators, seniors celebrated spirit week to commemorate their last week of high school before exams. Senior Week is one of the most exciting weeks for seniors as it is a lead-up to prom, the biggest event of the year behind graduation. Some seniors have been planning their outfit all year while others still manage to pull it off last minute.
Monday was Anything but a Backpack, Tuesday was 10 Years Back, Wednesday was 10 Years Forward/Senior Switch, Thursday was Senior Citizen, and Friday was Life After High school. PTSA members brought snacks to give seniors everyday during spirit week, even if the seniors did not dress up. Although not everyone dressed up, some were super excited for spirit week and showed it in their outfits.
“It’s our last year, and usually Hagerty isn’t big on school spirit, but in my friend group, we were all talking about it, and we all just decided that this week, we’re all gonna go all out,” senior Allison Raica said.
Monday: anything but a backpack
Senior Luke Matson surprised people when he walked into school holding a vacuum with his stuff stored in the dustbin compartment. Since that part is see through, students could see items like his gum and pencils moving every step he took. He originally wanted to bring a lawn mower but was shot down by his dad.
“I’m never gonna see these people again, so why not,” Matson said.
Senior Jasmine Guevera decided having a remote controlled go-kart to hold her school supplies all day was the next best option to a backpack. She initially wanted to use her motorcycle, however, she was not allowed to bring it into school, so she went to Walmart two days prior and bought a $200 go-kart.
“I love F1. It’s my favorite thing. It’s the only sport that I can actually sit and watch for hours on end,” Guevara said. “I’ve always looked forward to it since freshman year. My friends and I would watch people bring doors, tractors and stupid stuff like that.”
Tuesday: 10 years back
Senior Angelique Smith’s 10 years back outfit stood out because she even incorporated a stroller used to push around dolls. The sense of nostalgia given off from the rainbow striped socks pulled all the way up to the bow in her hair. The jacket being tied around her waist completes the look of making her look like a child. She had been planning her outfit since last year and got her stuff from walmart.
“I miss the old times when I was smaller,” Smith said.“I brought the stroller because when I was a kid I’d play as the mom with the baby and stuff. So I brought the stroller because that’s what I used to do as a kid.”
Toys are not the only thing that can make someone’s outfit stand out. Senior Kaylee Campbell wore her first day of kindergarten outfit as it symbolizes the start of her education. She had been planning her outfit for a year and she had to draw “Hello Kitty” on her shirt so that the outfit was on point. Her outfit was eye-catching because of the bright pink tutu she had on and she had a reference photo of her outfit stapled on her.
Ever since I was little I wasn’t afraid to stand out, what I wore for my first day of school was just a view into my daily routine,” Campbell said.“I’ve gone through a lot of changes since then but even now I’m still drawn to those obnoxiously bright clothes. I wore it for little me who would’ve seen my outfit and been excited.”
Wednesday: 10 years forward/ senior switch
Senior Eliza Markeci went all out when she chose to dress like math teacher Dan Conybear. She used dry shampoo to match the hair color and used her dad’s clothes to fit with Conybear’s style. She had planned her outfit for a year and was motivated because he is her favorite teacher. She solidified her role as Conybear by helping students on their assignment.
“I really had to get into character to give you guys the best version of Mr. Conybear from me,” Markeci said.
Racia went all out when her outfit came to representing what she wants to be. She wanted to be a doctor for as long as she can remember. She got her shrubs from Walmart and the stethoscope and white coat from science teacher Ashley Camden. Unlike the majority of the students that participated, her badge was not fake. Racia has been volunteering at Advent Health since the beginning of the school year.
“There’s no real reason as to why [I want to be a doctor] , that’s just something that I knew,” Racia said. “I’ve been wanting to do it for such a long time, especially with college coming up, and the major that I picked and everything.”
Thursday: senior citizen day
Senior William Eavers planned his senior citizen outfit for three days. He had been excited for senior week and wanted to have a memorable way of celebrating it, so he bought specific items from Amazon, rather than using things from home. His excitement, however, was not the only thing that motivated him.
“I love my outfits and the way I dress, and so my mom wanted me to go all out by using something I love,” Eavers said.
Some seniors like Sophia Gutierrez spent only a few minutes on drawing wrinkles and it amplified their whole outfit. She had a rough idea on what she wanted to look like and took clothes from her family members. She also went to party City and found an old people pack that had a cane, wig, and a life alert button. Her outfit was a prime example that students do not have to do a lot to have school spirit.
“It just sounded like the one I could be most creative with,” Gutierrez said. “Some people walked up to me and said ‘you’re just like the best costume I’ve seen so far’ which I wasn’t really expecting because I didn’t take too long on this.”
Friday: life after high school
As seniors were focused on going to senior breakfast and Prom the next day, the last day was pretty straight forward. Majority of seniors just wore a shirt with their university’s name on it, but some people got creative with it. Senior Leticia Carrasco Garcia wrote the university she’s going to and taped it onto a different shirt. She did not ask Stetson University for a shirt, but she still wanted to participate, so her sister helped her with the shirt.
“I wanted to go because of their music program. They have a really solid program, and they gave me a big scholarship for it, so I’m excited to attend,” Garcia said.
At some point, everyone has wondered who the worst driver of the class of 2025 is, or which seniors have the best “bromance.” Or even, who is the most likely to go viral (because apparently, it’s not Antonio Pizza).
Last week, all of these burning questions were answered in the auditorium. The Sammys award show was a night to remember– filled with entertainment, surprises and accolades for all of the campus’ favorite seniors.
With superlatives ranging from Most Mathletic (won by Josephine Lim) to Caffeine Fein (Hyatt Hit), the show ran for two hours, divided by skits performed by hosts Celine Merlin, Amanda Rubio, and Arianna Maboudou-Tchao, and several brief intermissions along the way.
In total, 19 Sammys were awarded to the class of 2025. This year’s categories (and winners) were:
Performing Arts Prodigy – Sydney Schmidt,
Worst Driver – Ella Kaplan,
Most Athletic Girl – Emiaj Jaime,
Frequently Flirty – Stacy Glover,
Best Dressed – Misa Gibbs,
Most Athletic Boy – Kale Encarnacion,
Gal Pals – Cali Adkins and Malory Walker,
Best Bromance – Jack Smith and Nico Garces,
Most Mathletic – Josephine Lim,
Best Smile – Addi Brinker,
Most Artistic – Macy Drewry,
Most Likely to Get ID’d at Thirty – Gia Digiore,
Most Likely to Go Viral – Ana Roman,
Most Likely to be Your Boss – Valeria Romero,
Worst Senioritis – Athena Raimondi,
Best to Take Home to your Parents – Nico Garces,
Class Clown – Eldon Ampomah,
Most Likely to be Late to their Own Wedding – Izabella Robinson
And Most Likely to get Married to their Highschool Sweetheart – Cali Adkins and Noah Mecabe.
Reflecting on the event, “Performing Arts Prodigy” Sydney Schmidt shared her adoration for her award, which reminds her of all the hard work and good memories she has made in her performing arts classes after seven years of choir and theatre combined.
“I always put my 110% into everything I do, so [my Sammy] means a lot because I really take theatre to heart, and that’s where I met a lot of my close friends this year. It just has always had a special place in my heart,” Schmidt said.
The annual Sammys would not be complete without the student entertainment. The show opened with a “Family Feud” inspired skit hosted by Dr. Phil and Steve Harvey (played by Merlin and Maboudou-Tchao in bald caps, respectively) in which for some reason “Steve Harvey” did the splits. Later on, Pizza performed a stand-up comedy routine in which he explained that his last name, despite popular belief, is not “Pizaza.”
In between the fever dream comedy acts, trio Elliot Pang, Casey Miller and Brayden Hall delivered an energetic rock performance and later on in the show Megan Anderson solemnly performed “Back to Black” by Amy Winehouse on piano.
Leadership organized the event, and though the show only lasted two hours, the time to plan and execute it was much greater. The planning process begins several weeks before Spring Break and lasts until the day of the event.
And though the planning process required meticulous management of Google forms and social media promotion, the event planning in itself even gave the seniors memories they will never forget.
“[I loved] working on our skit in the beginning with the bald caps and just having fun with [my] classmates and being original,” Merlin said.
Even if the Sammys filled the auditorium with laughter and nostalgia for the night, in the end, the bittersweet sentiments that come alongside graduation season washed over the seniors in the end.
“I’m definitely [going to] miss all the friendships and bonds that I made with my teachers, the staff and my friends. But also, I’m really excited [to graduate],” said Merlin.
All in all, the 2025 Sammys award show served as a sweet closing ceremony to the seniors’ final year. Five shoutouts to Clason Zhu later, the class of 2025 is now ready to close their final chapter of high school.
At the end of the night, senior Cali Adkins and Noah Mecabe met backstage with the other prom court nominees and waited as the last song finished playing. Two minutes later, they were named prom queen and king.
“I was very shocked and very grateful at the same time,” Adkins said. “Noah and I saw all our friends cheering us on, and it was super fun and sweet.”
Prom was held at Universal CityWalk’s Hard Rock Cafe on April 26. Doors opened at 7 p.m., where a line quickly began to form as students waited to enter the venue. This year, the theme for prom was An Enchanted Evening.
To get in, students had to show their Minga ID, where a barcode was scanned to confirm entry. Guest tickets were also paired with student accounts, so no physical paperwork had to be involved. This year was the first time this method was used, making the entry process more efficient than in previous years. At a certain point, Hard Rock employees asked administration to slow down the line to accommodate the flow of people.
“It was so smooth and very, very quick. We definitely want to continue using [Minga] in the future. The students are used to using their phones, so they were all also used to it, and it was great,” student government sponsor Sarah Bearss said.
After students passed through security, they were led upstairs to the balcony, where mocktail hour started while students met up with friends and took pictures.
Soon after, the buffet opened. Students chose from a selection of foods, including caesar salad, chicken tenders, mac and cheese, small sliders and buffalo chicken egg rolls. Open seating was available, but many tables remained full throughout the night due to the large number of students in attendance.
In addition to the buffet, students were able to get nitrogen ice cream of different flavors and toppings, cupcakes and had access to a regular photo booth and a 360-degree photo booth.
“We were extremely happy. We were all very proud administration chaperones as the student government sponsors, and then our student government kids were all very, very proud of the way [the dance] turned out, so it was definitely the smoothest prom I think we’ve had,” Bearss said.
In total, 600 students and guests attended the dance. For a majority of the night, the dance floor was full, with students jumping along to the music with their friends.
“My favorite part [of the dance] was starting a giant conga line. It got pretty big but had to be broken up because we tried to go through the front area of the dance floor, which was too crowded,” senior Surah Singh said.
For seniors, this night marks the final night of fun of their year. However, for many of them, the fun did not end at 11 p.m.
“My favorite memory is when my entire group ended up at McDonald’s. It was so funny cause we were pulling up in our dresses and tuxedos just to eat fast food,” Aguayo said.
All of the photos from senior week and prom can be found at hagertyjourn.smugmug.com.
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