Seniors follow tradition with gifts

Graduates give class mementos, ranging from the spirited to the practical, to their alma maters.

By KELLY RYAN

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 4, 2000

Osceola High School's Class of 2000 had a list of noble ideas for its senior class gift -- plant a tree, paint a sidewalk, buy computers, install a swimming pool.

A swimming pool?

After careful analysis, Osceola seniors picked a gift that fell in their price range and continued a 10-year school tradition: a redwood cafeteria table inlaid with senior memorabilia.

"They went from the sublime to the ridiculous," said Molly Babcock, a language arts teacher who doubles as the senior class sponsor. The table was a good choice: "This year, it's exceptionally fine."

The Class of 2000 will graduate Wednesday -- the last day of school -- and Thursday from Pinellas' 16 public high schools. As seniors happily bid farewell, they will mark their territory just as dozens of classes have before them.

They will give their alma mater a token of their appreciation.

The senior class gift is a tradition that has stood the test of time -- and remained virtually unchanged. Even as grown-ups marvel at the sophistication of today's teenagers, the gifts that seniors leave behind are decidedly unmodern and not real flashy.

They are sentimental and spirited and -- usually without much prodding -- practical. For the most part, seniors make their choices with two things in mind: their shoestring budgets and the advice of school administrators.

Some seniors never see the gifts because they aren't bought until after graduation. Others sweat with their classmates to build the gift themselves.

At Lakewood High, students are building their own memorabilia tables and only had to purchase supplies. At Tarpon Springs High, the shop class is building a senior achievement showcase cabinet.

Besides giving a senior memory table, Clearwater High seniors are rebuilding a patio in the senior wing that is being dedicated to a well-loved social studies teacher and senior class sponsor, Steve Gerakios, who died 13 years ago on graduation day.

A team of students are mulching, weeding and planting. A gazebo will complete the $2,000 project this summer.

"They have been working so hard," said Linda Smith, Clearwater's senior class sponsor who knew Gerakios. "It's a real gift from their hearts because they actually did the work."

At most Pinellas schools, this year's seniors did the same things to raise money that their older siblings and parents did: bake sales, car washes, candy sales, fashion shows and T-shirt sales. For most, the fundraising begins freshman year, and the class' bank account grows for four years.

The price range for Class of 2000 gifts stretches from a couple of hundred dollars (if students only raised money their senior year) all the way to $8,000. Most gifts hover closer to $1,000 than the top end.

Seminole High is buying a "Seize the Day" plastic sign, for about $150, to hang in the senior locker area. With about $600 to spend at Boca Ciega High, seniors bought paint and gussied up the senior dining room. They will give the school a $500 check for whatever administrators think they need the most.

"The last few years, they have just given the principals the money," said Boca Ciega math teacher Judy Nicholson. "They just couldn't decide what they wanted. You don't have a whole lot of money to buy something."

Gibbs High School seniors also are making a donation, as previous classes did, to fix up the football scoreboard, said senior class president Alex Anderson. He admits the class didn't make fundraising a priority and with a massive school construction project coming, a permanent monument to the class might have been ruined.

"If I had another two or three weeks, I would have liked to have embarked on something new," Anderson said. "Not something outlandish or crazy, just something nice."

Palm Harbor University High School was on the other end of the spectrum, with $8,000. Like several other schools, they had extra money because already-departed seniors donated their leftovers.

Palm Harbor's second graduating class will pay for detailed tile work, featuring the school crest, in the courtyard. The idea, said senior class sponsor Jo-Anne Kimball, is to personalize the school and create a community gathering place.

The idea came after lots of research.

"They take walking tours and see what the needs are. We ask, "What would make the day nicer here?' " Kimball said. "They thought having a rallying spot on campus would be a really nice thing."

East Lake High School seniors had the same good fortune and will combine money they inherited with money they raised to purchase three used golf carts. The carts, which cost a total of about $5,100, will be used for school officials to get around the sprawling campus.

"We just thought of what the school needs," said senior class president Michael Fretto, who said any extra money will buy picnic benches for seniors. "We spend a lot of money."

Though East Lake went for a practical present, many schools pick out something pretty -- something students and teachers can be proud of.

At Countryside, students are buying a stone fountain. Largo High will spend $1,000 to paint the sidewalks outside the gym with something like "You've entered Packer territory" -- an effort to psyche out athletic opponents. Dunedin's seniors are buying a granite entrance sign, a sign for the football field (called The Nest) and a brick for the school's commemorative brick program. Pinellas Park seniors are buying a custom-made display case for student artwork.

"I think they took the decision very seriously," said Kathy Zavadil, senior class sponsor at Dixie Hollins High School, where the seniors are having the gym wall painted with "Home of the Rebels."

The decision also was serious at St. Petersburg High.

Student government leaders, from all grades, are building two courtyards. One will be called "Pfeiffer Yard" to honor Bob Pfeiffer, who has been the school's Green Devil mascot for more than 30 years.

Besides doing some physical labor, the senior class is donating $1,000 to the project.

"He was one of those people that was always there," said senior class president Courtney Hill. "It's going to last for a long time."

Senior class gifts*

Boca Ciega: Painting senior dining hall, donation to school, $600

Clearwater: Senior table, renovated patio with gazebo, $2,000

Countryside: Stone fountain, digital camera, $2,200

Dixie Hollins: "Home of the Rebels" painted on gym wall, cost not available

Dunedin: Signs at school entrance, football field, donation to class of 2004, $5,000

East Lake: Three used golf carts, picnic benches, $5,100

Gibbs: Donate money to fix scoreboard, cost not available

Lakewood: Senior tables for Class of 1999 and 2000, $600

Largo: Painted sidewalk outside gym, $1,000

Osceola: Senior memorabilia table, $800

Palm Harbor University High: Tile work in courtyard, $8,000

Pinellas Park: Student art display case, $1,100

Seminole: "Seize the day" sign above senior lockers, $150

St. Petersburg: Donation to courtyard project, $1,000

Tarpon Springs: Showcase of senior accomplishments, $1,000

* Northeast High School did not provide information.

-- Source: Pinellas County Schools

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