Each Poughkeepsie High School senior was treated like a star, for as long as it took them to sign their name.
One by one as their names were called, the seniors walked to a table set up in the school’s cafeteria and sat down in front of a navy blue backdrop of Pioneers logos, with a swarm of friends following close behind. As they signed the book sitting on the table with both their name and their post-graduation plans, their friends cheered and captured the moment with photos and video, as if they were documenting a professional athlete announcing their team of choice.
Surrounding them was a table of food and a table in which art students painted faces. On the opposite side of the cafeteria was a makeshift photo booth, in which students could pose with friends. And DJ Da’Ron Wilson, the district’s executive director of school engagement, was filling the room with music in between when each name was called.
Senior Signing Day turned Wednesday morning into a party solely for the impending graduates.
“I’ve been celebrating all my friends and all of the people that I’ve grown up with for my entire life,” said Schuyler Birrittella, who will attend the University of Wisconsin on a full scholarship. “It’s so fun to see where everyone’s going.”
In particular, the party honored any senior who had registered their plans for next year with Kelly Semexant, the district’s college and workforce readiness counselor and the architect of the event. A majority of the students have plans to attend college, be it as far away as Birrittella in Madison, Wisconsin or as close as Dutchess Community College. Some also proudly reported they had earned full scholarships to places like Syracuse and Cornell. Still, others in the fall will attend trade schools and some will begin their career track immediately.
Semexant made it a point as she announced the names to emphasize all should be feted equally.
“We know that not all of our students go to college and a lot of the time they feel like they’re not being celebrated,” she said afterward. She noted one student had just told her he signed a contract with a construction company following an internship. “Why would I not celebrate that?”
She also reminded the students she was still available to help guide anyone who has not made a concrete plan for the future.
In addition to giving each student a moment to shine with a turn at signing the book, the district gave out roughly 20 raffle prizes – a student received one raffle ticket for each college acceptance letter they shared with Semexant – and awards for the student who submitted the most acceptances and applied for the most scholarships. The prizes included tickets, water bottles and sunglasses donated by the Hudson Valley Renegades, but most were items to assist with their future needs, such as gift cards, sticky notes, staplers, planners and picture frames.
Gabriel Anderson’s future plans include attending the University of Pittsburgh’s Physician Assistant program, which admitted just 32 students for the fall. Wearing jeans she decorated with the word “PITT” and her class year in the school’s blue-and-yellow colors, she said she wanted to find a campus in which the students participate in activities.
“I like their school spirit,” she said.
Anderson was also among the many students who appreciated the party’s atmosphere. Semexant said the idea was to give the students a relaxed gathering compared to the more formal events like Monday’s Awards and Scholarships Celebration in which whole families are invited.
“I’ve been doing those all week,” Anderson said. “I was at the award ceremony and the (National Honor Society) induction ceremony. It feels nice to just be celebrated.”
Linsay Perez-Lopez, the National Honor Society President, represented her own future school by wearing a SUNY New Paltz T-shirt. She said she liked the campus’ proximity and beauty, as well as the school’s academic standards. She wants to study biochemistry on a pre-med track.
Of the party, she said, “I think it’s really fun to be able to celebrate everyone. Signing in the book is a nice way to remember everything.”
The book each senior signed isn’t only a keepsake of the Class of 2024. It’s a burgeoning heirloom.
It’s the same book members of the Class of 2023 signed, and before that the Class of 2022, Semexant’s first year running the signing day.
“It’s something that I would love for this to stay for years, long after I’m gone,” she said. “We have generations here in Poughkeepsie. We have generations on generations. Who knows? In 20 years someone may look back and say, ‘Oh my God, that’s my mom’s name in there.’ I wanted something long-lasting.”
