Reminiscing on Prom and Grad
As the school year comes to a close, Eric Hamber’s class of 2023 has had a calendar packed with grad events, big and small. The two main events were prom and the graduation ceremony.
The prom dinner and dance was held on May 18 at the Pan Pacific Crystal Ballroom, themed “Under the Stars”. On June 6, the graduation ceremony was held in the Orpheum Theatre.
“I think prom was the highlight of the year for a lot of grade 12s,” stated Veronica Miranda (12). Prom was from 5:30pm to 11pm, and within this time the grads had an enjoyable time listening to speeches, watching their fellow students perform, and participating in hours of dancing. Micah Andaya (12) and Harris Toth (12) emceed the event.
The decoration was wonderful, according to Gemma Holland (12). “It looked really cool with the lights and everything in the ballroom,” she said. After the opening speeches, there were raffle prizes, including donated gift cards from local businesses.
Emily Webb (12) recalls, “There was also a student performance where Janelle Sobredo (12) and Travis Tran (12) sang and people really enjoyed it.” Sobredo and Tran performed three songs, two of the songs featured the performances of other Hamber grads on the Spotify versions, as well as “Tennessee Whiskey” by Chris Stapleton. It brought up the energy of the prom night. “It was a great performance,” remarked Zoe Raad (12).
Prom royalty was also announced. The winners, Milo Lee-Philp (12) and Sevak Virk (12), opened up the dance floor. Additionally, there was a slideshow displaying photos of the grads’ last five years of high school. There were also three photo booths, where people could take as many photos as they wanted.
The graduation ceremony was a long but joyful day. After a dress rehearsal the week before, the ceremony went smoothly, as the students knew exactly what to do. At roughly 7:15pm, the graduates walked into their seats.
As the graduates walked across the stage, “Some people got awards, which [was] cool,” said Holland. The major awards were received later on in the ceremony, with each recipient getting personal recognition for their achievements.
The esteemed Griffin Award was presented to Alanna Rudolph (12), for best representing what it means to be a Hamber student. The Aldyen Hamber Award was given to Emily Webb (12) and Wilson Liang (12), grad chair and co-president of Student Council, respectively. Tiana Ho (12) received the Citizenship Award as an executive of many Hamber clubs. Micah Andaya (12) received the Nora McDermott Award for exemplary achievement in sports and community service. The Whitaker Award was presented to Sarah Rubidge (12) for having the highest grade average. Rubidge also was presented with a Bronze Governor General’s Academic Medal for her academic achievement.
Webb recounted the length of the ceremony. “It was a three-hour long ceremony because there were over 300 people [graduating],” she said. During the ceremony, the senior choir and Hamber’s band performed.
Some students even took their BeReals and photos as they were walking across the stage. “Grad was fun, but it was just long,” concluded Miranda.