WTA Senior Class Advisor Kevin Grimsley and Yearbook Advisor Lyndsay Grimsley are busy making plans for 2020 Seniors. (THE WESTFIELD NEWS SUBMITTED PHOTO)
WESTFIELD – Westfield Technical Academy Programming and Web Development Instructor Kevin Grimsley, who is the senior class adviser, and Design and Visual Communications Instructor Lyndsay Grimsley, who is the Yearbook Advisor, have been busy planning the end of the year for the 2020 WTA Seniors, working at home while taking care of their two kids.
“It’s a lot of work,” Grimsley said. Currently, they are doing the final edits on the yearbook, which has been produced in-house by graphic arts for the past two years, and they plan to send it to the bindery next week. They are also working on producing senior t-shirts, to be given along with the caps and gowns and yearbooks in early June.
The Grimsleys are still seeking photos of seniors working at home, photos taken in their shops at school, and friends just hanging out together, something they haven’t been able to do lately. Grimsley said photos and videos may be sent to [email protected] by May 22 for a senior slideshow they plan to produce.
“We haven’t done (the slideshow) in a few years, due to a lack of interest, but figured it was a good time to bring it back. We’re going to post it online somewhere for everyone to see,” Grimsley said, adding they might send out a link to it on Google Drive.
Another way they’re trying to highlight the seniors is by the Adopt a Senior project, which is similar to the one the parents started at Westfield HIgh School. In this one students post their profiles themselves. He said their group is open to anyone that wants to join it from Westfield, and gives students “a chance to brag about their accomplishments for everyone to see.”
Grimsley said a lot of their students are already in the workforce, and have been working on getting certifications in their trades. This year has been difficult, because there are requirements of a certain number of hours in the classroom to get those certifications. Some students who were on co-op, may now be working full time.
Other students are volunteering in the community right now. He has one senior who goes out every day to hand out lunches at the Boys & Girls Clubs. “A lot of seniors are taking initiative, and showing the community that they are part of the community,” he said.
WTA Adopt a Senior profiles may be joined and viewed at www.facebook.com/groups/Westfieldseniors.
Grimsley said there is also an Instagram account called “Senior Commits” that was just created by a member of the senior class, similar to the Westfield HIgh School College Reveal, which indicates where the WTA 2020 Seniors are headed. This account may be viewed at Instagram/WTA_grad_2020.
All of the seniors from all three high schools in the city, including St. Mary’s, will be featured on Park Square Green the week of June 1, with a sign displaying their names, photos and schools.
Grimsley said WHS and WTA have been meeting weekly to talk about graduation plans, and keeping up with the state on what’s opening and what’s closing. He said the group is led by senior class officers, who at WTA are Joseph Ruffo – President, Faith Young – Vice President, and Zachary Smith – Treasurer. As a group. they decided to move graduation to July 30 and 31, although the venue hasn’t been decided as yet.
“It’s really cool to see the class officers take initiative to make this year the best year it can be given the circumstances,” Grimsley said, adding they’ve been doing a great job. He said Ruffo has been class president for three years. “They did a great job planning a lot of things. Before this year, they did a great job every year,” he said.
