Eastview seniors establish tradition

By Heather J. Carlson
Sun Newspapers
(Created 5/22/02 8:57:00 AM)

Although Eastview High School’s class of 2002 will soon be moving on, they won’t soon be forgotten.

Faculty and staff agree that the class played an instrumental role in helping bring together the Eastview community.

“They’ve been extremely involved in the building of traditions,” said Matt Percival, an administrative assistant at Eastview.

Still considered a young school, Eastview opened in 1997. The 565-member class of 2002 is the first group to enter the school as ninth-graders and have three classes above them.

Over the past four years, students have been struggling to create unique traditions for the school that set it apart from other high schools, said Dina Vaynerman, student council president.

“We’ve tried to stay away from the established traditions,” Dina said.

Case in point, the students helped start the “Kiss the Pig” event during Homecoming. Each teacher has his or her own bucket and students donate money to whichever teacher they want to see kiss the pig. The teacher with the most money in his or her bucket must kiss the pig.

The students also founded a tailgate party before the Homecoming Dance, which has become a popular event.

Besides being trendsetters, this year’s senior class stands out because of their diverse talents, said Tyler Krebs, an English and multimedia teacher.

“They are multi-talented and hardworking,” Krebs said. “They’re exceptional in a lot of different areas. I think there’s a lot of variety in their strengths.”

The seniors agree.

Ben Olson, who serves on the senior committee and edits the school’s television show “The Flash,” said it is not unusual to see students involved in a wide variety of activities.

“We’re well rounded,” Ben said. “We’ve spread our wings.”

Students say their class is also a close-knit group.

Senior Laura Voight, volunteer coordinator for the senior council and editor of the school newspaper, said difficult times have brought the students together.

“We’ve become very united,” Laura said. “It’s kind of been defined by our nation’s tragedies.”

Beginning with a bomb threat shortly after the school shootings in Columbine, Colo., the senior class has come together, Laura said. Sept. 11 also had a huge impact on the class, she said. Students dedicated themselves to raising money for the victims.

Students have also dealt with grief over the loss of three of their classmates in a fatal car crash at the beginning of the year.

Senior Nick Vogel, choir president, said classsmates have been there to help each other through the hard times.

“I think we all support each other,” Nick said. “And I think that really is the key to success.”

Laura added that the tragedies have made the class “stronger in many ways.”

As Ben, Dina, Laura and Nick consider the future of their classmates, all agree they will do well in the “real world.”

“We’ve set really high standards for ourselves,” Dina said. “We really push ourselves to the limit in everything we’ve done.”

What will the four seniors miss most about good old Eastview High?

“I’m going to miss not seeing everyone’s faces,” Ben said. “From teachers to friends.”

He added that this year’s seniors are close with the school’s faculty and staff and consider them to be friends.

Laura and Erik said they will miss the unique experiences Eastview offers its students, ranging from the latest technology to the arts.

Dina said she will miss the school itself, since she got used to spending so much time there.

“It’s my second home,” she said.

When Eastview faculty and staff reflect on members of the class of 2002 after they are gone, Percival said they will remember how strong a role they played in helping found the Eastview community.

Percival said, “This is the class that has really left their mark.”