The annual Senior Pin ceremony returned to the TCS Theater on November 18, attended by the Class of ’22, teachers representatives, administrators, and broadcasted live to family members. 

After several speeches, students were presented their pins by High School Principal Juan David Lopez and TCS Superintendent Ruth Allen. Many students stopped to take photos of themselves and their friends with their pins.

“The most meaningful part was most probably when students stand up and one by one receive the pin of seniors. This gave this moral sense or idea of a common shared mission of graduating,” Felipe Jaramillo, TCS Personero, said

The celebration symbolizes honor and responsibility for the school’s seniors. The pin ceremony is a long-standing tradition that represents the leadership and respect towards the school values that the seniors portray both in school and their private life. By accepting the pin, students promise to fairly represent the school and support its vision and mission.

“The ceremony sparked a light. It was an introduction and celebration of our last year at school. It also cast a light on a higher purpose, on our future transition to the next chapter,” Felipe Jaramillo said.

Students saw the ceremony as a way to show the common mission of being good people, great citizens, and graduation as a whole. Students described the ceremony as a moment full of nostalgia.

“The ceremony was amazing. We as a group were really emotive and everyone was extremely happy. We were able to remember several anecdotes and moments that formed our lives,” Senior Luciano Jaramillo, said.

The teacher representatives were elected by the Seniors. The final election led to the following representatives attending and giving a speech in the ceremony: Lily Lopez for the Early Years, Carlos Osorio for Elementary, Clara Quintero for Middle School, and Alyssa Jodoin for High School. 

“Actually I was really nervous before because I didn’t really know what to expect but then when I found out the significance of the pin ceremony, I was actually really happy to be a part of it,” Clara Quintero, Grade 8 English Teacher, said.

Isabela Aristizabal, Rosario Navarro, and Amelia Villegas sang to the attendees as a starting act. Seniors showed pride and emotion towards the act since it is their last year together. Following that were the speeches and pin recognition.

“I believe the highlight of the ceremony was definitely the singing of the three girls of our grade. They did a great job and they helped create a great environment,” Luciano Jaramillo said.

Parents weren’t able to attend the ceremony on campus now that the theater has a limited capacity due to the biosecurity protocols. Still, they were present virtually since the ceremony had a live transmission. 

“Not being able to be in person did make me very sad and it wasn’t the same watching it from home. When I saw my son receiving the pin, I felt very excited and even more because we all had been through this hard pandemic. For me, it was very important and I felt really proud of my son,” Hilda Cock, mother of Senior Luciano Velez, said.