Senior Class of 2023 Celebrates the End of an Era with Fun-Filled Picnic
A class to remember: senior superlative winners take center stage at Senior Picnic.
Repping their team’s logos and roaring their motivating chants, the Coral Gables Senior High’s class of 2023 attended the annual Senior Picnic on March 10. As graduation approaches, senior Cavaliers participated in various activities like voting for superlatives, a movie screening and the annual Wacky Olympics, all to celebrate their last moments together.
The day began with all of the seniors gathering in the auditorium, where the anonymous voting for senior superlatives commenced. Nominees had a week before the date of the picnic to campaign on their social media platforms, trying to accrue as many votes as possible. Class superlatives included “Life of the Party”, “Best Smile” and “Most Changed”. While voting took place, seniors were treated to a breakfast from “Seniorbucks”, featuring coffee, pastries and other delicious treats. Following the voting process, seniors applauded as their winning peers were each introduced to the stage with a brief introduction and sash around their body.
“I thought the superlatives were funny and a perfect fit for those who were chosen. I was nominated for a couple others, and it took me by surprise to win “Life of the Party”, but I’m glad to have been chosen,” senior Armando Camejo said.
The festivities continued with a dance party in front of the auditorium’s stage, where seniors showed off their best moves to their favorite tunes, picked by the student council. Classic songs like Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina” were chosen to set the mood right. Students smiled, waving their hands and bodies to the rhythm, celebrating the little time they have together. After the tiring dancing, students were ready to kick back with the screening of the popular, cult classic movie, “Ratatouille”. Watching the nostalgic film, friends watched as they recollected memories from early childhood.
As the movie came to a close and students restored their energy and excitement, it was time for the class of 2023 to march towards the field in anticipation of the Wacky Olympics. Teams of nine to 11 students each participated in the games which included an obstacle course, a tic-tac-toe relay, a water balloon pass, a volleyball game and other activities. Each game tested the teams’ creativity and cooperation, leading each to success if done correctly.
“The most challenging game was definitely volleyball because we faced a good team with actual volleyball players. Fortunately, we were able to win by working together and communicating. It’s also become my favorite because I didn’t know how much fun volleyball actually was until I got to play it,” senior Julio Bonjoch said.
The teams each decided on fun names like “Los Animales”, “The Flying Monkeys”, “W Team” and “The Phatties”. Seniors without a team relaxed under tents and cheered on their fellow classmates as the games got tense. Each team’s times for each game were recorded to see who would compete in the final four.
Putting in their best work, the four semi-finalists were The Phatties, The Flying Monkeys, The Goofy Goobers and We Greater Than Me. After the initial round of games, seniors took time to cool off, enjoying a delicious spread of sliders, chicken tenders and snow cones. They collected and ate their food from trucks while eagerly anticipating the finale and the infamous tug-of-war tournament.
Succeeding the lunch break, these semi-finalists then faced each other head-to-head in each event for the trophy. After a nail-biting match-up and roaring from the crowd, the Phatties received first place and while the Flying Monkeys received their award for close runner-up.
“The word I would use to describe getting the trophy is just fun, we were super excited to play, and I feel like winning the trophy was such a good time and well deserved in the end,” senior Elise Ballart said.
Once all was said and done for the Wacky Olympics, the separate tug-of-war tournament commenced, with equal team members on either side of the rope. The competition was fierce as each team wanted to show their mettle going down with a tenacious fight, but ultimately the Wacky Warriors emerged victorious in a thrilling finish and brilliant show of sportsmanship.
After the teams celebrated the success of their competitors and picked up after themselves, the senior picnic came to a close, providing a fun and memorable way for the class of 2023 to celebrate the end of their high school careers. Here’s to a bright and successful journey ahead for our Gables seniors.
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Edgar Perez is a senior in the International Baccalaureate program starting his first year in CavsConnect as a staff writer. He is excited to extend his...
