At the end of every year, the senior class donates their remaining funds towards a gift that will be left for the following years.
The senior class officers decides what the gift will be, however this decision will not be made or put into effect until the summer when all funds have been counted.
Senior Class President Brandon Sujka explains what he wants to see in a senior gift.
“Something that we would hope for is something that would be easily remembered, something that the class of 2016 would be proud to be remembered for. You see senior gifts all the time throughout the school whether it is the flags or the benches donated. It is [done] just so that you are not forgotten,” Sujka said.
Senior Class Treasurer Gabby Gallucci describes one potential gift ideas that has been talked about.
“So far if we have enough money we would like to get a whole new speaker system for the gym, if not we are thinking about doing a new class fight song to up in the gym or in the front of the school. If that does not work we are thinking about putting up a new TV in the cafeteria. It is all determined by how much money we have in the end,” Gallucci said.
Some additional ideas for the gift include decorative flags, according to Senior Class Vice President Riley Voss.
“It is hard to really think about ideas quite yet just because we do not really know how much money we have until after prom and everything is done. A while back I know we said something about wanting to do a new sound system in the gym that would be a lot, so that would only [happen] if end up making a lot of money. We have also talked about doing flags around the school; Curtis High School has some around their campus that look kind of cool and decorative and we liked those,” Voss said.
Previous senior classes have wanted to replace the old gym sound system, according to Gallucci.
“Last year I know they were also trying to do the speakers one too. That one has been going on for a couple years now. We are waiting until we can finally put that one in action but we also had the idea this year that we could donate money towards it and split it with the class of 2017 as just an idea. Nothing is set in stone until the end of the year when our leadership adviser gives us the OK on what we can purchase,” Gallucci said.
Gallucci elaborates on why she feels like replacing the sound system in the gym would make a good senior gift.
“I know that since my sophomore year we have really struggled with being able to hear and it has been this continuous thing of, ‘Oh the sophomores cannot hear, they do not feel included.’ And at Puyallup our biggest thing is trying to include everyone, especially in assemblies when we are trying to pump up the spirit and get everyone involved. It is just a big part if they can actually hear what is going on,” Gallucci said.
Alternatively, a gift that had some aesthetic value would leave a more visible mark on the school, according to Voss.
“We kind of wanted something that was more visible; we wanted to leave our mark on the school it is cool to get something like a sound system but nobody would really attribute that to the class of 2016,” Voss said. “So we wanted something that people would notice with their eyes and it was a cheaper option as well. We thought that would be cool if we could do something that people would visibly notice and be like, ‘Oh that makes our school look cooler.’”
Voss explains the significance of the tradition of senior gift.
“I think it is important because everyone leaves high school and most do not want to come back but I think it is important to leave your mark on your school just as a class. Doing things as a class also really unites everybody, with every senior activity I feel like it brings all the seniors closer and closer together if you are not really friends,” Voss said. “I know the whole class does not have a say in the gift but if their kids go here, or they know anyone who goes here they can say, ‘Oh, did you see those flags my class donated those.’ I just think it is cool that even if you want out of high school you still have a way of leaving your mark and just being respectful about it.”
Gallucci explains how the senior class gift is determined in the summer.
“We will know during the summer once they have finished all the taxes and get everything figured out everything from prom and get the money back from the senior class and see what we have left over. So the senior class officers are going to decide on different gifts at different money levels we are just going to have our class adviser set that up and be like, ‘Alright, guys, you have earned this much money I am giving you the okay we are going to purchase this,’” Gallucci said. “Everything is going to be set and planned before we get there because we are probably all going to be off and going to college when it is time.”
The tradition of the senior class gift is partially ingrained in the culture of PHS, according to Sujka.
“It is just because this school has so much basis in tradition and we have been around for so long and we have so many things that tie back to older generations of Vikings. It is PHS just trying to keep us going with the tradition of being a Viking,” Sujka said.
