The Beginning of the End: Senior Survivor Week

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Students from Rodriguez’s advisory stand with their boat during the Boat Regatta.

Vanessa Newsome-Slade, Staff Writer

For Vista del Lago seniors, the last few months of the school year are filled with anticipation for graduation and the anxiety of entering the next stage of their lives. However, before these major milestones, seniors were able to bond with their classmates through Senior Survivor Week, otherwise known as Class of 2017’s Greek Week.

The week of senior activities began on Monday, April 3, with Rush Day. Presentations from Vista’s Assistant Principal Jonathan Johnson, Athletic Director Mark Keeton and English teacher Tony Ruiz gave seniors information for upcoming events such as Disney Grad Night and the commencement ceremony. The audience was reminded to maintain standards of academic and behavioral excellence in the last few months of senior year.

On Tuesday, April 4, seniors, grouped into four teams based on their advisory class, competed against each other in several games of kickball and capture the flag.

The following day, advisory classes, clad in their advisory-specific themes, went head-to-head during the Boat Regatta. “Fegan’s Vegans,” the boat of Samuel Fegan’s advisory class, was the overall winner of the competition.

“It was really fun. We got to see our hard work and we actually succeeded…At first I was in shock because…I thought our boat would sink, but it actually held up very well. Even when we took it out of the water for pictures, it was still in perfect condition,” said Ashley Del Gatto, a member of Fegan’s advisory class.

After the competition, students were able to swim in the pool and play games on the soccer field.

“My favorite day was Wednesday, the Boat Regatta. It was really fun to see all the advisories compete and the barbeque at the end was the best food of all week,” said senior Sean O’Byrne.

Activities for Senior Survivor Week ended on Thursday, April 6, with a Day on the Green. After a brief awards ceremony, highlighting the efforts of advisory teams throughout the week, students brought food and games to share with friends.

“We could just be with our friends and everyone was super chill and playing frisbee and soccer with one another. I thought it was a really great day,” said Del Gatto.

Bus signups for Disney Grad Night were held the following day, Friday, April 7, during advisory. After the ten-minute hold, students rushed from their classrooms to the large gym, forming lines in front of the gym’s entrances. Once inside, students chose the bus on which they would travel to Disneyland in May. Afterward, Keeton and Ruiz reviewed guidelines and additional details so that students can have a fun and safe senior trip.

Participating in Senior Survivor Week allowed this year’s senior class to connect and share a fun experience with their classmates, marking the beginning of the many activities to celebrate their upcoming graduation.