The Eagle Eye Newspaper

By Emme Hogge, Associate Editor

On May 17, El Camino staff held Senior Awards Night in the Performing Arts center to honor the class of 2023 and its exceptional students.

The ceremony began with the presentation of the California State Seal of Biliteracy, which is awarded to students who show a high level of proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking in one or more languages; a total of 29 students received this award. 

More students were honored with the Academic Top 10 awards followed by Valedictorian Catie Burnett (‘23), who met the requirements of a 4.0 unweighted GPA, all A’s in her classes, and a minimum of ten honors courses, five of which are required to be Advanced Placement classes. 

Burnett also won the California State Seal of Biliteracy, the Science Department award, was a member of the Academic Top 10 and is a California State Federal Lifetime Seal Bearer. Burnett explained that the focus for her had always been less on being Valedictorian and more on personal success.

“I think more so I just wanted to try to get the best grades I could. [Valedictorian] didn’t necessarily become a big goal until the end of junior year,” Burnett said.

Burnett plans on attending University of California Berkeley and studying Environmental Science.

Valedictorian was followed by Perfect Attendance Awards and the Department Awards. The Department Awards were presented by a representative from each department, and were awarded to seniors who performed exceptionally well in a specific subject. 

There were also separate awards for students who had completed a Career Technical Education in Eagle Polytechnic Institute, Manufacturing Metal, Arts, Media and Entertainment, or Medical Assisting Pathways. These students were rewarded with a certificate and a sash.

Student Class and Student Body President Awards and Link Crew Awards were presented to student government and link crew seniors who demonstrated exceptional leadership skills. 

Following these were the California Scholarship Federation Awards and Lyceum Awards. CSF, earned by students through their rigorous academic coursework, high academic grades and good citizenship, awards students with gold stoles. There are three levels of Lyceum Awards; the first recognizes students who take Honors and AP courses, participate in school activities, and complete a certain amount of community service hours. Lyceum Honors, along with a red cord, is awarded to students with a 3.5 GPA and 60 community service hours. Lyceum High Honors is reserved for students with a 4.0 GPA and 100 community service hours, awarded with a double red cord. 

Seniors could apply for a number of different scholarships offered by EC, each of them with a different set standard, application process and reward. 

Secretary Donna Pelletier coordinated with the Ose Family Community Service Award and Captain Joseph Schultz Scholarship, preparing the applications and sending them to be reviewed. In addition to these, there were also a number of Parent Teacher Student Association and Boosters scholarships, as well as the Cal Worthington Scholarship and Sacramento Women’s Chorus Scholarship. These scholarships and any outside scholarships students received were presented at the awards ceremony.

Cords, metals and additional sashes were distributed on Friday, June 2 at Senior Breakfast along with caps and gowns.

Senior Awards Night was a great way to finish off the school year and to celebrate the graduating class and their accomplishments, and will hopefully encourage younger students to try their hardest and enjoy high school while it lasts.