Sharen Tait, Community Resource Coordinator and Honors Commission adviser, encourages students from the class of 2017 to apply to become one of the Seniors of the Month. Photo by Laura Le.by Celine Hoang, Social Media Editor & Laura Le, Staff Writers
Seniors of the Month is an award that is given out each month to two seniors at Fountain Valley High School (FVHS).
The two seniors are chosen through the Honors Commission, which is run by Sharen Tait, the Honors Commission adviser and Community Resource Coordinator at FVHS. Honors Commission is usually a 3 year commitment. Because of this, they primarily recruit freshman and recommend for them to stay on it for their freshman, sophomore, and junior year. Applications for Honors Commission is put out at the beginning of each year for people who are interested in joining.
The Seniors of the Month are selected through a consensus. First, Tait numbers the applications, so the name is completely removed from the application. This allows the members to pick an applicant with out bias because they don’t know who it is. Then, they come to a meeting, which is held about once a month, and look through all the applications and determine their top two picks. After that, they vote to see how many agree on an applicant and choose from the applicants with the most votes. If they want, they even have the opportunity to argue for an applicant. At the end, they come together as a group to decide.
On the application, there are four different questions. The first question likes to see involvement in student government. The next category is campus clubs, which asks for their involvement and accomplishments. In the next category, athletic teams, they like to see their accomplishments and leadership in that area. Last, in the category of spirit and performing arts and publications, they like to see their involvement in other things on campus.
A common misconception is that there is always one female and male senior of the month chosen each month. However, this is not the case.
“No, [the Honors Commission] don’t know who the applicants are. You know, sometimes you can tell from the writing and the activity that it’s a boy or girl, but we don’t choose a boy Senior of the Month and a girl, we just choose the top two from the applications,” said Tait.
To qualify, seniors must meet a cumulative GPA of 3.0, and have no honor code violations.
Applications to become a senior of the month are available in the activities office and on the activities website. There are specific deadlines so seniors can submit for that month, but applications from students who aren’t chosen roll over into the following months.
“I would love more people to apply for Senior of the Month. It’s not that hard, and it’s a great honor to be distinguished by your peers, because it is students who are deciding who their seniors of the month are,” said Tait.
