For the very first time since 2019, “senior season” has been kicked into full swing as Foothill Technology High School’s (Foothill Tech) Associated Student Body (ASB) hosted the Senior Only Academic Rally (S.O.A.R) on March 9, 2022 in Spirito Hall. 

Seniors were excused from their fourth-period classes and welcomed into “The Incredibles” themed rally to celebrate their academic achievements with awards, games, prizes and more. 

Four teams representing different “Incredibles” characters were created (Elastigirl, Mr. Incredible, Frozone and Edna) for the duration of the rally to nominate seniors to participate in any of the three games hosted in between awards. The winning seniors’ teams were awarded points, but the biggest prizes came from the random raffle in which ASB gave away two sets of Airpods, two Hydro flasks and one iPad. 

The main focus of the rally was to give away a total of 49 awards to seniors who fell within the following categories: Most Achieved, Most Improved, Most Participatory, Most Inspirational and Hidden Gem. All seniors recognized were nominated by their teachers and were given a certificate and a personal bundt cake. 

The winners of the Most Achieved award included: Lily Crikelair, Treya Desai, Gregory Gillette, Aidan Hagerty, Aimee Kidwell, Zachary Kinnaman, Ashley Newman, Kelsa Ropersmith, Anita Sarrasingh, Kaelyn Savard, Chloe Scofield, Rebekah Sokoloski, Bridgette Stromme and Rebekah Weldele. 

Gallery • 3 Photos

Ella Nicolle

Seniors gather together for the SOAR rally to play games, receive awards, and celebrate their achievements as a class.

The winners of the Most Improved award included: Drew Brunsky, Naomi Flores, David Friend, Aimee Kidwell, Sofia Lawson, Ryan Medina, Bella Meza, Aubrey Mullin, Ella Oliveras, Brandon Ramirez, Jonathan Salas and Kaelyn Savard. 

The winners of the Most Participatory award included: Noah Browne, Max Collins, Maya Diaz, Kaylah Kennedy, Kyle Masmela, Kayla Osumi, Shay Rivera-Bremner, Kelsa Ropersmith, John Scherrei, Chloe Scofield, Jolie Steur, Rebekah Weldele, Ben Zeko and Olivia Zoll. 

The winners of the Most Inspirational award included: Mo Aguilar, Rimoun Alsalami, Maya Burton, Lily Crikelair, Mikaela Hantgin, Bridget Hopkins, Heidi Ingram, Jared Lanteigne, Lizzy Lemos, Charisse Lindsey, Kyle Masmela, Bella Meza, Vanessa Rosales, Jasmine Smith and Rebekah Sokoloski.

The winners of the Hidden Gem award included: Ryan Ando, Antonio Andrade, Siya Bhakta, Kylie Cloutier, Preston Ea, Mauricio Galvan, Ashlyn Gomez, Ella Hoyt, Keyla Juarez, Spencer Karayan, Nick Kvale, Luna Quezada, AJ Romero, Elvira Salgado, Kate Strickland, Nico Toledo, Rebekah Weldele and Kai Woods. 

ASB Finish Strong Commissioner Kira Shinden ‘22 added, “I was really scared about the rally at first because some of the categories people can take the wrong way like most improved, but everybody has been super positive! It was so fun!” ASB continues to host senior-only events such as Senior Movie Night, Senior Breakfast and Senior Signing as a farewell transition into college. 

Aside from the teacher-nominated awards, the traditional titles of Magna Cum Laude, Summa Cum Laude, Salutatorian and Valedictorian were also announced verbally, but those seniors will not receive their graduation cord until Senior Awards Night later in the year. 

Brandon Ramirez ‘22 stated, “The S.O.A.R rally is a lot more interactive […] it really has done a good job of honoring the [senior] class.” Ramirez won several awards and was recognized for his high GPA with the title of ‘Salutatorian’. 

Valedictorian Bridgette Stromme ‘22 commented, “We haven’t been all together in a really long time so it’s nice to have us together and see all of our friends go up there and get awards.”

To finish off the honorary event, four seniors including Senior Class President Marina Wolowicz, Alex Loza, Allen Bryant and Mikaela Hantgin gave emotional apple cider toasts to the memories created by the class of 2022 and the legacy they will leave behind. 

Salutatorian Aimee Kidwell ‘22 further explained, “It was a good chance for all the seniors to get back together and celebrate one another’s accomplishments.”

The portion of the rally that took place within Spirito Hall was recorded and available for viewing on the Foothill Tech ASB Instagram page.