Class of 2011 reflects on salute day

Friday was no ordinary day at La Cañada High School. It was Senior Salute Day, as members of the Class of 2011 proudly strolled through the campus dressed in their best attire. The seniors sported crowns on their heads and carried roses.

With just 12 days left until graduation, La Cañada High’s seniors celebrated their accomplishment of finishing four years of high school. It was a time for reflecting on the past four years, while also looking ahead at what’s to come in the next chapter of their lives.

The Senior Salute Day festivities began with a breakfast, followed by a schoolwide assembly and another assembly just for seniors. A barbecue lunch concluded the salute.

During the seniors-only assembly, a video was shown of some students telling the camera where they plan to continue their education in college. Several members of the Class of 2011 performed songs or shared speeches that told their classmates how they felt.

“I really do love this class,” senior Jay Kolina said during the assembly.

The speakers also reminisced about the good times they’d shared together, from procrastinating on school projects to cheering on the Spartan basketball team’s championship run this season.

Laura McClelland reflected on how far the Class of 2011 had come in her speech.

“This is weird, Senior Salute Day is here,” she said. “We’ve been waiting for this since we saw the seniors walking around our freshman year with their crowns and roses like they owned the school. Turns out we kind of do.”

McClelland acknowledged there’s still plenty to be accomplished in the world after high school. She encouraged her classmates to continue “viva” — a word that’s become a way of life for the Class of 2011, she said.

Her classmates responded, and chants of “viva” rang out through the school’s auditorium as McClelland walked off the stage, beaming.