Senior Banquet an Absolute Must!
By Ralph K. Spencer, D'Evelyn Education Foundation Board of Directors An absolute must? Yes, an absolute must! Take it from someone who has been to ten consecutive Senior Banquets and is looking forward to #11 on Wednesday, May 16 @ 6:00 PM at the Sheraton Denver West, 360 Union Blvd., Lakewood, CO 80228. Everyone is encouraged to arrive by 5:30. Exactly what happens at a Senior Banquet? You have asked the right person! There is a dinner, of course, at a reasonable rate of $30/person (graduating seniors and their parents only since space is always an issue). Please send a check and RSVP to Sonya Sotolongo in the Financial Office, telephone 303-982-2619. The Masters of Ceremonies will be two talented Seniors who typically poke fun at all things D'Evelyn - and some things not. Senior speeches are always entertaining - some thought provoking, some hilarious, some tearjerkers, others somber, all memorable. My favorite occurred several years ago when a Senior spoke about a Teddy Bear his parents had given him for agreeing to attend D'Evelyn as a 7th grader. He brought the Teddy Bear to the dais with him and proceeded to lament the monumental inequity of this bribe by citing all the math problem sets, the term papers, the reading, the tests, and the stress he experienced at D'Evelyn and all he got in return was a Teddy Bear! In closing, he admitted that he had also benefitted from an amazing curriculum, fantastic teachers, incredible theater productions, spine tingling sporting events, and the greatest friends he had ever thought possible. He closed by thanking his parents for his "lucky bear" and promised he would carry it with him always! Seniors will entertain the audience with musical and/or vocal performances, some of them originals, perhaps a solo, but all of them done with the same precision and expertise that D'Evelyn Seniors are known for throughout Jefferson County. The D'Evelyn Principal typically begin the festivities at the outset of the evening with a brief, sincere, and extremely appropriate presentation given the special nature of this event. Scholarships and monetary awards will also be presented, the awards never failing to bring an ominous silence to the room as deceased D'Evelyn students of yesteryear are memorialized once again by adding names to their respective plaques that hang on the walls in the D'Evelyn foyer. All the scholarship and award recipients are met with tremendous applause from the audience as deserving students, D'Evelyn community members, and the Senior High Teacher of the Year, voted upon by Seniors only, are enthusiastically recognized by all in attendance. And finally, an ongoing tradition that marks the end of the evening and a trademark of D'Evelyn Senior Banquets for as long as anyone can remember - the Senior Video. Each year it seems that every Senior and every D'Evelyn teacher is featured in the video along with all the counselors, the food service workers, secretarial and security personnel, custodians, every sports team and all kinds of weird situations produced by Seniors known for thinking outside the box. This traditional video leaves only the Senior picnic and the D'Evelyn graduation before our Seniors strike out on their own into a crazy world that will include additional education for many and job seeking for others. Regardless, these D'Evelyn seniors will be ready for whatever the world has in store for them. Their Liberal Arts education has prepared them for whatever path they choose for themselves. If you are a parent of a Senior, by all means try your best to attend the Senior Banquet with your graduating student. You will NOT be disappointed! Go JAGS! |
The D'Evelyn Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable corporation. The Board of Directors oversees the finances, legal issues and long-term strategic plans of the organization Archives
May 2023
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