Bearden’s Senior Committee is working hard to bring a more updated aesthetic to campus.

This year, the committee has come up with the idea to renovate the trophy case by the gym and update the large photo board pictures throughout the hallway. Senior Committee sponsor Mrs. Anne Fine has helped this group of students as they have taken on these two projects and worked with the athletics department to update Bearden’s campus.

“For the trophy cases, we did a joint project with the athletic department,” Mrs. Fine said. “They updated the trophy case by getting a carpenter to design and fill in the bottom portion of it so that it looks a little nicer.” 

This is the smaller of the two projects, but it is a necessary renovation. It will work to make the gym trophy case match the quality of the other cases on campus. 

“The pictures are a much bigger project; we’re going to remove the ones that are up, and replace them with updated photos,” Mrs. Fine said.

These updated photos will highlight the newer achievements of Bearden students that are not featured in the current photos. The current photos were taken in 2011, so there will be a clear difference in the quality and content of the photos.

“You will see a tremendous difference in the clarity, the kinds of creative things that the photographer will do, and it will be updated with students who go here,” Mrs. Fine said.

Senior Committee President Devon Sowa added that they wanted to represent the students and the interests of those at Bearden. 

“We want to be able to present Bearden in a way that’s more up to date with how we are now, as a school, and as a community,” she said. “We also want to make the photos timeless.”

Their fundraising goes toward this project at the end of the year, and the rewarding experience of their community improvement is why many students enjoy being on Senior Committee. 

“All the money from the Senior Committee food trucks is going to pay the photographer and buy the photo boards,” Mrs. Fine said. “My goal is to get the job complete before the seniors leave so they can be the ones to go around and take the old ones down and put up the new ones.”

If the project is ready in time, club member Annabelle Vartan-Matthews will help finish this class gift. She has volunteered alongside other members this year to clean the memorial garden, plan the food truck days, and organize the Senior Luncheon and Baccalaureate.

Senior Committee is also in charge of organizing a breakfast for the cafeteria workers and picking a class quote. Starting this year, they have also implemented bake sales to increase fundraising for the senior gift. 

“We started doing bake sales this year, and we were actually able to interact with students and have conversations,” Vartan-Matthews said.

As a member of this club, she gets an opportunity to be outgoing, participate in a lot of community service activities, and exercise her organization skills. Senior Committee is a great club for any students who want to help improve the Bearden community. 

The next opportunity to support these hardworking students is on this year’s last food truck day on April 27.

If students are interested in applying for Senior Committee, applications can be found in Room 323 with Mrs. Fine. The application requires two teacher signatures, an administrator signature, and a school transcript.

“A lot of students think that the Senior Committee is about GPA, but it’s not,” Mrs. Fine said. “We really want strong volunteerism and students who are strong in their love for Bearden. It’s not about whether you have a 4.0 or a 3.5; it’s about your ability and desire to give back.”