As juniors of the Class of 2016 were officially recognized as upperclassmen on Jan. 29, the Junior Ring Ceremony began shortly past 6:30 p.m. The seats of the auditorium were packed with family members of those who bought rings, anticipating the event’s occurrences. Prior to the event, juniors personalized their rings with Herff Jones to create rings that symbolized his/her story.

“I feel very honored to be the class of 2016 sponsor. They are an outstanding class with the most amazing officers. I expect this class to continue to strive forward with the excellence they already have,” Ms. Monzon said.

After organizing the speeches and meeting with Herff Jones Representative Max Nieto, the Junior Class Officers and Sophomore Class Officers spent the day of the event creating the decor for the Ring Ceremony, making sure to keep the auditorium as organized as possible, despite complications like the mezzanine level of the auditorium having its seats removed.

“Preparing was exciting! The anticipation for the actual ceremony just kept building up as the day kept getting closer, and everything was coming together. To see all of our hard work pay off and for it to be seen by everybody was a really satisfying feeling,” junior Taylor Fay said.

After speeches from the Junior Class Sponsor Ms. Monzon, Junior Class President Jordan Payne, Junior Class Vice President Gabrielle Saliamonas and Junior Class Secretary Maria Estrada, the remaining officers, Sabrina Ochoa, Joseph Villafañe, Daniela Quijano, Taylor Fay and Joshua Zambrano, read the names of the juniors receiving their class ring. Students walked through the large ring alone, in pairs or even in groups, posing for pictures and enjoying their night.

Once Principal Costa addressed the Class of 2016, attendees sang the alma mater and the ceremony came to a close. As the night gradually ended, students posed for their own group pictures before heading to their homes. Overall, the mission of distributing class rings was accomplished!