On June 2, 2012, the junior class of the North Hollywood High School Highly Gifted Magnet hosted its annual Senior Night for the senior class. This year’s theme was Sock Hop, and the event was held at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center located in Burbank, Calif.
Each year, the junior class of the Magnet organizes and hosts a night of games, presentations, and socialization for the senior class and faculty. The juniors prepare for the event beginning around the end of April, and are led by a committee of ten students who attended the event the previous year as sophomores. Every component of the event, including costumes, room decorations, tickets, outdoor games, emcees, and music, is organized by the juniors, and they try their best to create the most memorable night for the soon-to-graduate seniors. The theme of the event is kept a secret from the seniors prior to the event, and all that the seniors are instructed to do on their invitations are to come in formal attire and get ready for a fun-filled night.
“It is such an amazing sight to watch the entire Junior class come together to organize this single night just for the seniors,” Magnet Coordinator Phyllis Spadafora said. “It just shows how much the Magnet is like a family.”
At the event, all attendees enjoyed outdoor games that matched the theme, such as hairspray-can bowling for this year’s Sock Hop theme. All the juniors dressed up in ’50s outfits, and surprised the seniors as they walked in, laughing in delight. Additionally, everyone enjoyed dinner together, and relieved a year-full of stress on the dance floor. However the greatest highlight of the night was the presentation portion. Each year, all juniors of the Magnet randomly pick a senior to create a one-minute presentation for that senior. During this presentation, the junior may do anything creative, such as read a poem, sing, or tell a story about their senior. Additionally, the junior is to give their senior a small, inexpensive gift that the senior would enjoy. Often, these gifts represent the senior’s hobbies or symbolize a funny story about the senior.
“I loved the presentation that my junior gave me tonight,” said Emma Schiffer, a senior from North Hollywood High. “Who would have known she would give me a pillow so that I can finally get some sleep?”
Senior Night is not only a tradition for the Magnet, but also a memorable night that the students and faculties attend to bond and send off the seniors to college. As their last gift to the seniors, the juniors try hard each year to hold an exciting event, and work together to make it the best night possible.
Hi Sally, the event you covered sounds so fun. You made Senior Night come alive. You had a good structure and found quotes from more than one source. I would suggest not starting the lead with a date because most readers don’t see the story until much later and making the lead more catchy. Other than that, great story. (Sidenote: at our school, Woodbridge High, the PTSA prepares for Grad Night since the beginning of each school year so I can only imagine how hard the 10 juniors need to work to prepare something for each of the seniors. Wow!)