As a final close to the school year, seniors boarded two charter buses on May 12 in hopes of building memories in the city of San Francisco.

From the musical, The Lion King, to community service at Mt. Hermon, this trip offered various opportunities for seniors to reflect on the year and spend some final hours together before graduation.

“I really enjoyed the senior trip,”” Adam Leslie, ’04, said. “”It was a great time for us to bond together before we go our separate ways. It was a good time of reflection on the year and really helped me to appreciate all the friendships I have developed over the years.”

Almost immediately following the four-hour bus ride, students adorned themselves with fancy clothes and hurried off to the Lion King at the Orpheum theater.

“”The Lion King was one of the highlights of the trip,”” Sharayah Bell, ’04, said. “”I thought it was going to be pretty boring, but after the first chorus of Circle of Life and seeing the elaborate costumes, I was hooked.””

After a day of hard work at Mt. Hermon, students were able to relax in a time of worship and sharing of fond memories throughout the year. This was a time of joy but also sadness, as students understood this would be one of the last times spent together as a class.

Another moment students cherished while on the trip was an evening stop at the beach in Santa Cruz. Through this experience, seniors embraced the company of each other in an unique atmosphere. We congregated around a bonfire and lifted our voices in song to the tune of the guitars played by some of the senior boys.

It was when Jordan Griffin, ’04, picked up the guitar and played “Time of Your Life” by Green Day that brought tears to our eyes. Through the powerful lyrics of the song we were able to share all the things we were feeling by the sound of our voices in unison. As we sang arm in arm, everything of the year was summed up in this one moment.

“The most powerful event of our senior trip was definitely singing on the beach,” Griffin said. “”It was a time of reflection and chance to share our feelings of graduating through singing. It was cool to see the whole class doing the same thing together.”

It was opportunities like these that some students enjoyed more than the structured events of the week. The beach was a chance for us to bond together away from the busy halls of high school.

The following day seniors found themselves roaming the streets of San Francisco for an entire day of shopping and spending time as we pleased. Some chose to take a trolley to Pier 39 while others spent time and money in the mall of Union Square.

“We had a great time walking the streets of San Francisco,” Laura Berg, ’04, said. “We ate lunch at the Cheesecake Factory and spent the rest of the day shopping and hanging out together. Some of us girls also got makeovers which was really fun.”

As our class is made up of many avid sports fans we were given the opportunity to watch a Giants baseball game at SBC Park. Although the Giants did not pull out a victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates, this game was an experience that will not quickly be forgotten.

The last day was a finale to the entire trip offering a day of fun filled roller coasters at Paramount’s Great America. Although long lines and masses of people were frustrating to some, they proved less than a stumbling block for faithful amusement park lovers.

“Our day at Great America was really enjoyable,” Gabe Hawkins, ’04, said. “Although the lines were really long, we were still able to have a fun time talking while waiting to board the rides. Toward the end of the day a few of us threw a football around and reflected on the good experiences we had throughout the week.”

This week proved to be a powerful time of class bonding and reflection on life changing events. We will look back on this event with fond memories and thanksgiving. This was certainly a perfect way to end this chapter of our lives.” “Jon Endicott, vice principal” “After a day of community service at Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center seniors gathered around a bonfire on Santa Cruz beach during the senior trip. Here, senior boys entertain the group with songs on May 13.” “Jon Endicott, vice principal” “Senior trips often brings out the best in people, but this is not the case for Tyler Wiebe. Here, Wiebe enjoys a mouthful of MaryAnne’s famous ice cream in Santa Cruz, despite the impending brain freeze on May 13.” “Insert text here