By: Holly Pulley, Staff Writer
PLANNING: Poly’s class of 2022 vows to invest in their future.
On April 28th, Poly High’s seniors attended the annual Senior Choice Day. This event is held to let seniors know that Poly is a family, and is here to help the Class of 2022 decide their future and commit to themselves. “You are moving on with the next stage of your life,” Poly’s principal, Mr. Hansen says, and “we want to celebrate that.” Each senior was handed a pledge certificate, stating that they commit to pursuing the goals after graduation, with a blank underlined portion, meant for the student to fill in with their name. Teachers came up to the podium with words of wisdom.
Mr. Schulte talked about students leaving and becoming adults, and that part of having a successful future is trusting yourself and your choices. “There are these weird moments where the times change, and people expect things from you,” he explains. “You have to be there for yourself. You have to learn to trust yourself and your decisions.” He talked about how his parents expected him to go one place for college, but he chose the school he thought was right for him, and ultimately ended up happier with his choice. The class of 2022 will go through similar experiences, and during that time, they will learn what it means to be in control of their own life.
Mrs. Avila explained how Poly has always been her home, a family that supported her, and a place that summons happy memories. “I met some of the most amazing people at Poly. I met my husband here,” she says. After the loss of her daughter, Poly staff and students helped her grieve and heal. Mrs. Avila’s one piece of advice would be “just don’t quit.” In the words of her daughter, “The only person you need to be better than is the person you were yesterday.”
The event continued with Poly celebrating seniors who were going into the military, workforce, to UC’s, community colleges, Cal States, and out of state or private schools. Mrs. DeLaRocha led the Symbolic Signing, where students signed their pledge certificates. The affair ended with a group picture with the seniors and their signed pledges to put their all into their futures and never give up. The experience was fun to watch, and seeing the graduating class so interested in the speaker’s words showed that the Class of 2022 will change the world.
