Every year, when the graduating senior class leaves, they give something to the school to remember them by. The money for their personal gift comes from money the class and its sponsors raised over the course of the four years they attended the school, according to Principal Sonny Arnel.
The gift the class leaves is picked out by the class’s officers, Dr. Arnel and the class sponsor—who, for the past three years, has been Mrs. Jennifer Denny. The gift is picked based on what the school or campus would need or benefit from, according to Dr. Arnel. Previous graduating classes had left gifts such as the benches and trashcans in front of the school with the word “SPARTANS” across them.
“It’s always different things,” said Dr. Arnel. “So they can leave the campus better than when they got here, as something to be proud of when they return.”
The senior class of 2010 left behind a statue of a spartan. The funding that was gathered for the statue came mainly from the class of 2010, which paid for the actual spartan statue. However, the class of 2011 paid for the base and lights that will illuminate the statue.
“Last year, we decided to do [the statue]. This time last year, we started the process,” said Dr. Arnel.
The idea for the statue was found online by Dr. Arnel, on GrandStatues.com. The statue is scheduled to arrive towards the end of May, as it is being finished and shipped from California. It will be placed inside of Don Meunch Memorial Stadium towards the middle of the plaza, where it will face the competition field.
The statue itself, according to Dr. Arnel, is about eight or nine feet tall, standing strong on a two foot platform. With a dark bronze color, the spartan has a raised sword and a shield with the symbol of a spartan on it.
“It makes me very proud to be here. I love our kids and our staff. We see that everyday. Community members don’t,” said Dr. Arnel. “So when they come into our campus, we want them to feel what we feel.”
According to Dr. Arnel, the statue and other senior gifts affect the school in a similar way.
“It creates a sense of pride in our students,” said Dr. Arnel. “They get a sense that they’re proud to be a Spartan student, and they’ll come back to see they’ve left an impact.”
