On Jan. 18, 69 seniors from Venice High were honored with a Jacket of Excellence and a Certificate of Commendation to commemorate their academic achievement in high school.

Many Venice teachers couldn’t attend the ceremony because they were on strike fighting for their students. However, the jacket recipients were able to show their support by wearing all red for the people who made them true leaders of society—the teachers.

During the luncheon that occurred in the West Gym at 12:30, the seniors happily rushed outside to take a few quick pictures and receive congratulatory remarks from their teachers.

“I’m happy that we came outside to see the teachers and all their efforts,” said senior Vara Meephettarn.

Because of the seniors and their strong affection for their educators, the teachers were able to participate in the Jacket of Excellence ceremony despite the strike.

“Being appreciated makes it all worthwhile. I was very happy as a parent and a teacher,” said Venice Japanese teacher Mrs. Hiroko Nomachi.

The Venice Chamber of Commerce and Venice Alumni Association supported the event by raising money for the jackets in order to continue the tradition of honoring the seniors who exhibited excellence in their education.

Since 1984, Venice High School, along with community partners, has been hosting an annual Jacket of Excellence luncheon where top students of the senior class are recognized for their accomplishments.

These students have attended Venice High School since ninth grade, earned a cumulative unweighted 3.75 GPA, participated in extracurricular activities and exhibited excellent behavior.

Due to the strike that began on Jan. 14, this celebrated tradition underwent changes. For the first time in Venice High history, the Jacket of Excellence Luncheon was celebrated without the presence of many teachers. With the guidance of the administration staff, many of the seniors were able to receive a jacket.

“Jacket of Excellence makes me feel special to be recognized by a school I’ve been apart of and grown up with for four years,”said senior Ernesto Gonzalez.

Congratulations to the 69 seniors who have been awarded with a Jacket:

Guadalupe Antonio, Guadalupe Aquino, Kei Asakawa, Alberto Ayala, Sebastien Balembois, Reyna Barrios, Annabelle Bellamy, Alyssa Berman, Camryn Butze, Elvin Canseco, Jenny Chen, Destiny Clark, Victoria Corpuz, Justin Delgado, Sean Derby, Daniel Escajeda, Koorosh Evagee, Timothy Fan, Ella Fletcher, Antonia Frangiyyeh, Adali Fuentes, Xochitl Garcia Lopez, Alejandro Gonzalez, Ernesto Gonzalez, Jared Grace, Jalen Greenberg, Kevin Griffin, Luis Guerrero, Angel Gutierrez, Damian Hernandez, Tigerelle Hodge, Evan Holter, Madison Kim, Marina Kim, Athena Koon, Cindy Lin, Anna Lo, Luisa Lopez, Doren Mansbacher, Lilly Martinez, Natalie Martinez, Schyler Marvin, Quinlan McNight, Sabrina McNeely, Vara Meephettarn, Angel Morales, Jaycee Nakagawa, Chris Nakatsuka, Shashine Nnachetam, Alissa Okada, Eugene Ouchi, Levi Premer, Daniel Alfonso Rodas, Jennifer Romo, Mariana Salinas, Nick Schollan, Monica Soliman, Xenon Soriano, Alicia Valenciana, Kenya Venezuela, Ricardo Vargas, Julissa Ventureno, Sanam Villiani, Roberto Villegas, Jack Wiener, Aidan Yoo, Jared Yuge, Samuel Yung, and Jasmine Zamora