Graduation Day at Gilroy High School may still be several months
away but 12 soon-to-be graduating seniors are already taking a
reflective look back at their cherished Mustang years.
The six boys from the basketball team were honored at Wednesday
night’s Senior Night and today it’s the six girls turn to take
center stage.
Graduation Day at Gilroy High School may still be several months away but 12 soon-to-be graduating seniors are already taking a reflective look back at their cherished Mustang years.
The six boys from the basketball team were honored at Wednesday night’s Senior Night and today it’s the six girls turn to take center stage.
Last night as each of the departing seniors from the boys team was called, they were escorted to center court by a senior member of the girls squad.
And truth be told, Gilroy High couldn’t have orchestrated a more appropriate send off. Ever since Elementary School these 12 young men and women and been virtually joined at the hip.
Through the years they’ve all laughed and cried together as they’ve shared in each others joys and accomplishments along with their defeats and failures.
This is a group that is more than just classmates, fellow Mustangs. This is a unit made up of best friends. They’re brothers and sisters and you don’t even have to be a part of their group to recognize the love the have for each other. It’s a bond so rare that it emanates in everything they do. They probably don’t even realize themselves how transparent their love for one another is.
Sitting up in the bleachers and watching the boys enter the gymnasium last night, escorted by their best friends, was a unique sight to behold. The six girls were beaming so proud as their brothers basked in their moment in the sun.
First to enter the arena was Christian Cania escorted by Nina Blas, they were followed by Ryan Chisolm and Sara Griffis, who preceded Vinny DeLorenzo and Marissa Nowakowski followed by Jeremy Teschera and Kristen Campos. The next couple was Dominik Wilkins and Katherine Hussey and it was Wilkins comments about his father, the Lady Mustangs assistant coach, that brought the biggest reaction from the crowd.
“My goal in life is to grow up and be just like my Dad. And my sister Vanessa is the best sister a brother can have,” the public address announcer recited Wilkins written comments as he walked through the parade of coaches.
The final couple to enter through the procession was Chris Yates and Jessica Groppe.
And then came the video that highlighted each one of the departing seniors.
First appeared a shot of them in junior high followed by a picture of them as a senior. A highlight reel of each player was then displayed and finally in conclusion the six girls interviewed the boys as a group asking them what their favorite moment was, what they hoped to leave behind and any departing words of wisdom.
The crowd was entertained by their answers but you couldn’t help but think about what must have been going through these 12 youngsters minds as they witnessed first hand one of their final moments together as a collective unit.
Tonight the 12 will meet again and this time it will be the boys turn to escort their sister to center stage, allowing them their deserved moment in the sun.
Graduation Day is quickly approaching for these 12 special players. And when that day finally arrives these friends/siblings will venture out into the world in different directions. A bond that has been growing for more than a decade will, which has cemented them together as friends, will now travel many roads.
But wherever they go, whatever they do, Christian, Nina, Ryan, Sara, Vinny, Marissa, Jeremy, Kristen, Dominik, Katherine, Chris and Jessica will always have each other. No matter where they are, when they hear the dribble of a basketball they’ll instantly be reminded of a time from their past that they’ll forever cherish.
In the years to come they’ll all go on to lead separate lives but as they make new friends, they’ll cherish the old. They’ll realize that the new are silver but what they’ve got in each other is truly gold.
