By Millie George, Staff Writer
Each year, the Best Buddies club holds a senior night event to honor the graduating officers and general members, but it is also an initiation for the new officer team.
The senior night event is the first event that is organized by the incoming officer team and is a way for the new officers to understand what their responsibilities will be for the upcoming year. The event consisted of the incoming presidents presenting a slideshow that honors each of the graduating seniors, and speeches from the current team as well.
Incoming co-president junior Marina Ronayne expressed that she thinks that “having the new officer team organize a very casual event, like senior night, as our first event is a great idea.” This system helps the new officer team get a feel for what they will be doing in the upcoming year before school lets out for the summer.
“Having the new officer team organize senior night is really great because it shows everyone who the new officer team is while still honoring the current one,” said incoming officer at large sophomore Elsie Hagstrom. Having the new officers arrange this event allows for the members of the club to have a familiar face and be aware of the new faculty when the club starts back up in the fall.
The sponsor of the club, Jess Gary, awarded each of the graduating seniors with a small gift after they were announced. They were given a personalized cup with a number of goodies inside. “The cups were so cute, and this event was such a fun way to honor our time with the best buddies organization,” explained current vice president, and senior Emily Jones.
Gary expressed that she wanted to give a gift to the seniors to commemorate their devotion to the club over the years. “I am so grateful for this officer team and for all of the graduating members. I cannot wait to make more memories in the future years of River Hill best buddies,” said Gary.
Following the awards, the retiring co-presidents, Samara Resnick and Samara Winrose, gave a speech about their experience as presidents of the club. Samara Resnick highlighted that “getting the opportunity to be president of the River Hill chapter of Best Buddies was an amazing experience, and I hope to continue to spread awareness about the program in the future.”
As the new officer team was announced following the presidential speeches, many of the new officers expressed their excitement for the next year of the best buddies. Future match director Claudia Tobon said that “getting to organize an event before the summer got me really excited to be a part of the future officer team.”
Gary also portrayed her excitement for the new team at the senior night event. “I think this new team is going to work very well together, and I am really looking forward to collaborating with them as well,” said Gary.
There is a lot of excitement surrounding the upcoming year of best buddies, and this senior night celebration was a great way to commemorate the graduating seniors as well. The event was a valuable blend of honoring the seniors while introducing the new members. “The senior night event truly celebrated valuable memories and new beginnings,” said Resnick.