Two hundred forty Gulf High School seniors received their diplomas tonight. Graduation was held for the second year in a row at the EpiCentre, the auditorium of Calvary Chapel Worship Center.
For the first time in many years, girls and boys wore different color gowns. Girls wore white and boys wore green. The change was requested by Amanda Gardner, the senior class president. This year seniors took a long, circuitous route from the holding room to the main building to avoid the rain.
This year’s graduation is Mr. Imerson’s last. He will be moving to a job at the school district this month. It was also the last graduation for Mr. Palma, one of our assistant principals. Mr. Palma read the names of the seniors as they crossed the stage.
Among the guests on the stage tonight were Frank Parker, the vice chairman of the school board, Ray Gadd, the Assistant Superintendent for Support Services, and the principals of Gulf’s feeder schools.
Three seniors were presented their diplomas by their parents, who are school employees. The parents are Mr. Griffith, Mrs. Wells-Corriher, and Mrs. Buonsanto.
The senior class presented several gifts to Mr. Imerson, including a classic popcorn popper with an message from the class printed on it. Mr. Imerson’s trademark school-spirit slogan this year was “We’re poppin’!”
The graduation was the 85th in school history. The first graduation took place on April 29, 1924, when eleven seniors received their diplomas. There were no seniors in 1922-23, the first school year.
