This year, a record number of 69 seniors who have exhibited hard work and dedication to their studies will be honored with a Jacket of Excellence to commemorate their success at Venice High School. The Jacket of Excellence is an award to recognize Venice students who have featured the best qualities of a Gondolier.

“The jacket represents dedication and perseverance, but also it represents a community of people who worked hard,” said senior Camryn Butze, a jacket recipient.

Students who were chosen to receive this award had to meet certain requirements established by the school: attending Venice for a minimum of three years, having three or fewer unsatisfactory marks on transcripts and having maintained a weighted GPA of 3.75.

“I fitted the qualifications, so I wanted to take the opportunity to potentially receive this award,” said senior Alissa Okada.

With many students being presented as jacket recipients, preparations are underway to ensure that the Jacket of Excellence luncheon on January 18, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. in the West Gym will successfully honor many of these seniors. Those attending the ceremony must contribute to their own lunch cost of $15, while the cost of the student’s lunch is free.

“It’s exciting to receive a jacket because we do all this work for 4 years, and it’s nice to be recognized,” said Butze.

The jacket recipients of the Class of 2019 are expected to notify their counselors on what university they’ll be attending, their area of study, and what they’ll miss about being a part of the Venice High community.