Proclaiming ‘they did it,’ Lawrence seniors say goodbye

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June 11, was a bittersweet day for Lawrence High School seniors. It marked the end of a fabulous school year and the end of our high school careers. During these past few days, each event and activity that was planned for our enjoyment made for beautiful memories, which we seniors will treasure forever. 

While freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and faculty at Lawrence High were busy preparing for the Regents exams, seniors celebrated their achievements at several events. On June 5, there was the Senior Banquet, where we celebrated together as a class. Seniors dressed up in their fancy attire, attended the event at the Imperial Room in Inwood, where they mingled with their friends.

Amid the laughter, dancing, and fun times, senior superlatives were announced throughout the night, with some of the superlatives ranging from Best Hair, to Best Makeup, to Most Likely To become a Millionaire, and so on. These superlatives were chosen based on votes from this year’s graduating class. The student government officers tallied votes. I won the award for Best Snapchats. To top it off, a surprise prom proposal was made by David Barrientos to Stephanie Mieja (she accepted). All in all, the night will definitely be marked down as one to be remembered in the years to come.

On June 6, a select group of seniors were acknowledged for their achievements in music and art, academics, journalism, and community service, at the high school’s Senior Awards ceremony. Award recipients sat side by side on stage, speculating and whispering to each other about what award (s) they might receive. While proud parents sat in the audience, with beaming smiles and clapped and cheered as their children’s names were called and they walked upon the stage to receive their award.

It began with Principal Dr. Jennifer Lagnado congratulating this year’s valedictorian Safa Ilyas, salutatorian Daniel Rizzo, and honorary speaker Nicholas Williams for their hard work. The awards were then given out, including for Excellence in Math Research, Excellence in Journalism, Excellence in Music Awards, besides scholarships from several donors. These substantial and generous scholarships were received with joy and appreciation by us seniors and we plan to use it to meet our college expenses.

We seniors would like to thank all our donors for their kindness, thoughtfulness, and generosity. I personally would like to thank Senior Editor Jeffrey Bessen and the management and staff at Nassau Herald for honoring me with the award in journalism. For us seniors, the night proved to be one filled with joy, delight, and jubilee. 

The Senior Barbecue hosted by the PTA was on June 11. We not only enjoyed food goodies but also decorated our graduation caps. We also got our yearbooks signed by teachers, friends, and classmates.

Many seniors, with heavy hearts and tears in their eyes, bid adieu to their favorite teachers and classmates. As we seniors move forward to a new chapter in our lives we take pride in claiming “Yes, we did it.” We look forward to Prom on June 20 and Graduation Day on June 25.