After weeks of anticipation and guessing who will be the senior whose named will be called next to thiers, the juniors received their long-awaited rings April 11, with only 20 days left until their last day, the senior class has passed down leadership to the junior class.

“My favorite part of the whole night was finally getting to put on a ring of my own on after wanting one for so many years,” junior Sam Shively said.

Current Student Body President senior Ava Rawson symbolically passed down leadership with the gavel to junior and Student Body President-elect Kamryn Rogers. Principal Natalie McDonough opened the ceremony with a prayer, followed by speech from President Alicia Herald-Kortarba ‘02. Kotarba, who as an aluma received a ring herself as a junior, reflected on what the ring means to her and her fellow graduates. Senior Class President Sarah Tappan gave a speech to the juniors, followed by a speech from Rogers dedicated to the senior class. Juniors are looking forward to becoming the leaders of the school, and participating in the ceremony from the other side of the aisle, according to Shively.

“I am looking forward to being able to be a leader next year,” Shively said. “And of course get to give my sister Olivia her ring.”

Senior class Vice President Gabby Grimaldi and senior class treasurer Kendall Rogers called the juniors alphabetically, while the seniors waited for their selected junior to be called. As part of the tradition, seniors have the opportunity to select juniors to pass on the ring. Rogers gave the ring to her sister Kamryn Rogers, a moment they had been waiting for since both graduated from the grade school, according to Rogers.

“We had both known I would be doing it since we came to Sion,” Rogers said. “But the look on her face when I was about to hand the ring to her was so worth it.”

Juniors with family members that are alumnae have the opportunity to receive their ring from those family members, even if they aren’t current seniors. Shively received her ring from current seniors Keely Roudebush and Taylor Pitzl as well as her mother, Christie Shively, aunts Louisa Weinrich and Sarah Mallon and cousins Melanie Mallon and Allie Weinrich. Though Shively knew many of her family members were coming to the ceremony, Allie Weinrich surprised Shively. Next year, Shively said she will join her family in giving her sister sophomore Olivia Shively her ring.

“It feels awesome to finally get my ring because I have been trying on my moms for years and now I get my own to put on everyday,” Shively said. “It was so awesome for Allie to surprise me because I wasn’t expecting her at all and me and her are very close.”