Despite a third place finish in Spirit Night and a second place finish in spirit year, the Jersey Juniors performed impressively across the board, winning key events.

Perhaps the three biggest wins for the juniors came with the commons display, the t-shirt, and the chant.

Organized by The Voice’s own Courtney Nielsen, the Class of 2018’s commons display depicted a shore store, filled with various New Jersey memorabilia.

“This year we really wanted to wow the judges,” junior Colin Downes, who played an instrumental role in the designing of the display, said. “A lot of time and effort was put into it by many people to make it a success. Even if our display had not won, the hard work was worth it because I got to work with a great group of people who all wanted to see our grade succeed.”

Also designed by Nielsen was the grade’s winning t-shirt. The shirt’s front mimicked the renowned Garden State Parkway sign, and the back showed a typical highway exit sign reading “Exit 2018” and “Home Sweet Home”.

Junior Raphael George, one of the school’s most talented musicians,  wrote the winning chant. To the catchy tune of “Na Na Na Na Hey Hey Hey Goodbye”, the Jersey Juniors executed the masterful chant, granting them a first place finish in that event.

George’s successful night would continue, as he, along with Sean Jackson, Nathalia Pignato and Daniela Digiovanni would lead the class to a first place finish in Tic-Tac-Toe over the seniors.

For consecutive years, the Class of 2018 claimed victory in the Tug of War, with anchor Ryan Wheaton leading the grade to victory.  

Despite placing third for the video, mural, and dance, the Jersey Juniors are looking forward to another year of hard work and dedication. Co-director of the video Trevor Pavenski is proud of the improvements that the class made as a whole.

“I really enjoyed helping write the video this year, I think we’ve come a long way since last year” Pavenski said. “I’m extremely motivated to make the best movie possible next year and take home first place.”

During the dance, the juniors had the crowd on its feet as class members danced to some of New Jersey’s greatest hits, including songs by Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, and Whitney Houston. Choreographed by juniors Rachael Levonaitis, Isabella Ganas, Emily Weadock, Jenna Thornton, and Britney Komoroski, the dance was an ode to New Jersey.

The Class of 2018 would like to thank junior class advisers Melissa Blevins and Kimberly LaHart and student council advisers Caryn Brogan and Brandon Wiater for making Spirit Night a memorable experience for all!