On May 20th, the Centreville High School Orchestra Program celebrated our graduating seniors with Senior Night: an event full of senior solos, gifts and awards, and a great reception. To say the final goodbye, the orchestra’s Pops Concert was also held, where all seniors performed alongside their orchestras in their prom-style outfits.
Graduating high school is a huge milestone in one’s life. It enters you into the next stage of your life after thirteen years of being in school, where you have to learn how to be an adult. Many seniors at Centreville High School took orchestra for all four years of high school, and the Orchestra Department isn’t afraid of going all out to celebrate their efforts.
Alva Paz-Bonilla, a graduating senior at Centreville High School, appreciated Senior Night and the fun she had there. “I liked walking down the arch with my friends. It was wholesome. I started off orchestra with no friends, and then I branched out to having more friends. It felt like a good way to say goodbye.” Graduating seniors walked through a glowing arch onto the stage with their friends as peers clapped and took pictures.
“I just liked the friends that I made along the way and learning new things. Just like Dr. Taylor said, orchestra is literally just life lessons in one course.” Paz-Bonilla continued, reminiscing on her four years during orchestra.
However, not only the orchestra directors were behind the scenes of Senior Night and the Pops Concert. The Members of the Orchestra Board, or MOB for short, coordinated videos and slideshows, took pictures, and set up the stage for the night. Cameron Feldman, the Manager of the Stage Crew, was one of them. “It was a little bit stressful due to the hours we had to be there for both nights. However, above all, I would say that the amount of fun that it was outweighs that.”
Lastly, Meredith Kohut, one of the two orchestra directors, feels proud and nostalgic every Senior Night and Pops Concert that comes. Her favorite part is seeing her senior students stand out on these nights. “When all the seniors walk out and they get their moment to shine, it kind of makes things full circle as they’re finishing up their time here at Centreville.”
Kohut has many hopes for her students as they graduate from Centreville and move on to college as well. “I hope that they have trusting family and friends. Obviously, we want to have great musical systems, and also a great support system, family, and people with them too.”
The end of the school year is always a sentimental time for seniors. High school definitely goes by fast for some, and this is a period of character growth, drama, and new friends. Many of Centreville’s seniors carry the experiences of orchestra throughout their entire high school career, and it’s amazing to see their growth celebrated at the end of the year.
