On Wednesday Nov. 19, the annual International Baccalaureate (IB) Pinning Ceremony took place in the auditorium to welcome the newly inducted IB juniors into the program. As the juniors and their families entered the auditorium, their new journey into the IB world officially began. International Baccalaureate Honor Society’s board members and Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) members helped guide the juniors and their families to their corresponding side of the auditorium.

As the seats in the auditorium continued to fill up, the masters of ceremonies, IB seniors Marianna Babboni and Rachel Ellis, began the ceremony with a welcome speech. Divaaz took the stage, as they sang the National Anthem, with the company of JROTC and Color Guard. To spice it up, a group of seniors gave a brief introductory speech in their specialty language. Among the languages presented were Spanish, French, Italian, Greek, Mandarin, Portuguese, German, Hindi and Panjabi. IB senior Coby Sanchez gave his own word of advice to the juniors, which included anecdotes about IB life and anticipations juniors will soon encounter. Shortly after, Principal Adolfo Costa gave a short speech wishing the IB juniors the best on their new journey. As a special guest, the Mayor of Coral Gables James Cason addressed the junior class with an inspirational speech, with the intention of motivating the juniors and pushing to their best potential.

“As one of the language speakers, I gave a small speech in both Panjabi and Hindi. It was nerve wrecking, even though no one probably understood why I said but I was still extremely nervous. I also worked the ceremony and it was fun to spend time with the rest of the IBHS board,” sophomore Guneet Moihdeen said.

With the conclusion of speeches, the stage was turned over to IB Coordinator, Ms. Van Wyk, who briefly welcomed and congratulated the junior class. The ceremony proceeded to the long anticipated pinning. Each junior was called over to the stage, where they were pinned by current IB seniors. They were also given white roses to accompany their newly received IB pin.

As the pinning ceremony was coming to an end, the group of juniors were brought upon the stage to take their group picture and sing the Alma Mater. The juniors and their families were then escorted out of the auditorium and into the New Cafeteria for delicious snacks and refreshments, courtesy of the Culinary Arts program. At around 8:30 p.m., the newly inducted IB juniors headed home to celebrate a new beginning in their high school careers.