Most likely to tug your heartstrings: NC seniors receive superlatives
Seniors Chike Asuzu and Rola Goke-Pariola stand together after receiving their superlative sash. Both students serve on Tribal Connections (TC), the student governing body for the entire school, and thus play a crucial role in the functioning of the school. Asuzu and Goke-Pariola let their school spirit show on social media and at school sporting events, attending pep rallies and hyping up the crowd.
May 3, 2019
With the school year slowly but surely winding down for the seniors, the time for celebratory events in their honor has begun. The most prominent of these celebrations, the Senior Breakfast and superlative announcement (hosted this year in the newly constructed Performing Arts Center) acknowledged seniors based on their social standing, style, and unique characteristics.
“The Senior Superlatives are awards given to a senior graduate, and they’re nominated by their classmates. It’s someone who exemplifies a specific trait or quality that the other [senior] students would like to recognize. It’s a really big honor to win a superlative, and anyone that wins them should be very proud of themselves,” senior and co-presenter at the ceremony Ava Wonn said.
To those not in the know, the system of granting students their superlatives seems fairly self-evident: let the seniors vote amongst themselves for who deserves which superlative, then tally it up and give the student with the highest number of votes the title.
Seniors Ava Wonn and Maggie Huff stand on the stage after receiving the Superlative for Best Buds. The pair first met at the age of four in their dance class: during this time, Huff was homeschooled and Wonn attended kindergarten at Baker Elementary. Spending their entire dance class together, the two have spent every summer together since.
The categories for superlatives, though seemingly basic, convey their worth in a fairly self-evident manner: Maggie O’Bryan and Nick Crafton, recipients of “Most Likely to Brighten Your Day,” earned their title for their sunny disposition and amiable nature. “Most Changed Since Freshman Year” winner recipients Blake Williams and Sarah Campbell won their award for a notable personal evolution throughout high school, while the winners of “Best Dressed,” Esteban Alarcon and Lexie Williamson, obtained their award for their distinct fashion taste.
Perhaps the superlative students pay the most attention to, the “Most Athletic” student must deal with steep expectations and even steeper competition. Those desiring this position must not only perform well in their sports but well enough to hold the attention of the senior class. On top of that, the two students (Babin VanDerwaal & Christian Singleton this year) holding these positions must stand out against not just their own team, not just all those playing the same sport, but against all student-athletes in the senior class. The female recipient of this title acknowledged the demands of the title, all while remaining a good sport towards her fellow nominees.
“I feel like they deserved it as much as I did, and they’re all very good athletes—they have inspired me in a way, as well. I’ve seen them perform and do as good as I ever did, so they deserved it as much as I did. They’re great, and the future is bright for them,” Most Athletic female Babin VanDerwaal said.
Among the sea of superlatives indicating social standing, Mr/Mrs. North Cobb, held this year by Chike Asuzu & Rola Goke-Pariola certainly remains the superlative most indicative of one’s popularity among the senior class. Students who win this superlative represent and uphold the values and ideals of NC, all the while remaining good students.
“I never like to think that anyone’s better than anyone or more deserving of any sort of superlative. I just know I will put in as much work as I can to make this school as great as it can be, for everyone involved—whether it’s students or faculty—it doesn’t matter. If the students believe that I have done that great of a job, it was more so about the work I could do than the title,” Mr. NC male winner Chike Asuzu said.
Spencer Paige and Rebekah Geil, recipients for Most Intelligent, pose for school pictures. The two students, both in the Magnet program, worked diligently in their classes to achieve their status. In addition to holding the title of Most Intelligent, Paige and Geil also hold the titles of salutatorian and valedictorian, respectively.
If one asked any of the seniors what they considered to be the most valuable superlative, Class Clown, a title held by Chance McGarey and LaJonda Boone may not come to their mind as the first answer. Despite that, this position may hold the most value of them all: as the adage goes, “laughter is the best medicine.” With the sadness of the seniors leaving, a good sense of humor can do a lot to dull the pain and heartache. More importantly, this acknowledgment represents the best aspects of the superlative awards and senior in general: making a lasting impression on friends throughout high school.
“I think that winning the class clown superlative will make me think about how everybody enjoyed my presence in their lives in high school, and I think it’ll create fond memories [looking back]. I had the opportunity to make someone’s day a little bit better, and I’m happy that I did. Thank you to everyone who voted for me,” male winner of Class Clown Chance McGarey said.
For many NC students, the graduation of the seniors marks the departure of some of their dearest friends and family, a hard pill to swallow. Despite that, the Senior Superlatives still remind us all that no matter where the graduating class may go, their achievements will always remain close to our hearts.
