For seven years, Stagg’s senior class has been unable to step foot onto the “happiest place on earth” to celebrate one of the proudest achievements of their last four years.

However, the Class of 2018 has put an end to that streak by being the first in many years to gather enough seniors to approve a trip to Disneyland for Grad Nite. While the trip ended up successful, there were doubts by teachers and students alike in the beginning.

“After watching the last few years go down the way they did, I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t any doubt in me about this trip following through,” Associated Student Body adviser Ryan Berg said.
In the time he has been in charge of ASB this is the first Grad Nite trip that Berg has actually seen happen.

Issues ranging from apathy to money is what caused many to fail. As each senior class started repeating the pattern of the last when it came time to put together the senior trip, advisors started to lose hope.

“I think there had been a bit of a school spirit issue over the last few years,” Berg said. “And I think this year we really see a segment of the Stagg population that is trying to change that and pulling off a trip like this helps.”

When the list began to fill after more students paid for their trip, Berg was excited to see that seniors would really have the “Grad Nite” experience. Berg believes that it took a class effort for an event like it to have been pulled off.

Angeliah Smith, a senior, said what she enjoyed the most from the trip was being carefree with her friends and walking through Disneyland at night while all the lights were starting to come on. She also enjoyed taking pictures with all the characters she got to see.

“It feels great to know we’re the first class in seven years to be able to go to Disneyland,” senior Angeliah Smith said. “I don’t regret a single moment from it.”

Senior Jordan Santos said that being the first class to go to Grad Nite shows that he and his peers are fully committed to making senior year one to remember.

“It’s one of those things that you won’t forget,” Santos said. “The Grad Nite dance with my friends and all the other seniors from different schools was a blast.”
A memory he will hold onto forever is when all they the dance floor and showed off all their dance moves against other seniors.

“After seeing posts all over social media of the trip and hearing stories about it I do think more kids will want to have the same experience,” Berg said. “Future senior classes will have a major ‘want’ to make their own memories.”

For senior Abby Thao, the Grad Nite trip was more about making memories rather than being the first class to go. Thao said being able to spend day and night with friends that she’s made within her four years of high school filled her with a lot of joy.

“This celebratory was a great way to put an end to our senior year,” Thao said.