THE ANNUAL “CLAP-OUT” at St. Joachim Catholic School in Costa Mesa gives the entire school population the chance to celebrate and honor its graduating eighth graders.
ST. JOACHIM GRADUATES AND COUSINS, REESE CORNEJO, LEFT, AND GIAVANNA WILLARD, STAND FOR A PHOTO NEXT TO A VAN DISPLAYING PHOTOS FROM PAST YEARS AT THE CATHOLIC SCHOOL. PHOTO BY LOU PONSI/ DIOCESE OF ORANGE
This year’s clap-out took place on June 5, with St. Joachim’s 29 graduates skittering through two wide lines formed by students from preschool to seventh grade in the school’s courtyard and exchanging high-fives with their school along the way.
A swarm of parents, snapping cell phone photos the whole time greeted the graduates at the end of the brief jaunt. Then there were more photo ops as the celebrated students posed for group shots with their friends. From there, families drove off in vehicles decked out with streamers and balloons. There was an awards dinner that night and the graduation Mass the next day.
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ST. JOACHIM CATHOLIC SCHOOL HOSTED ITS ANNUAL EIGHTH-GRADE CLAP-OUT ON JUNE 5. PHOTO COURTESY OF PRINCIPAL KELLY BOTO.
“I think it’s a huge way of celebrating these kids and what they’ve given back to their community and their school,” said Brandi Willard, mother of graduate Giavanna Willard.
The festivities were bittersweet for some parents, who’ve watched their children advance from preschool to eighth grade at St. Joachim and forming close friendships with other families along the journey.
“It’s families that have been together for 10-plus years that are now going their different ways,” said Melanie Cornejo, mom of graduate Reese Cornejo. “So, it’s not just a junior high graduation, it’s the end of a lifetime of friendships and community that’s been built at this amazing school and church.”
For parents and students, the fact that St. Joachim is a small school is a blessing, allowing for festivities such as the clap-out to take place.
“Well, it’s a really small community, so I think everyone kind of knows each other,” said graduate Nate Allison, who served as eighth-grade class president. “It’s really well put together and everyone is like family. It creates a really great community here.”
Many of the graduates are going on to Mater Dei, Servite and JSerra high schools and will re-unite with their St. Joachim classmates while making new friends.
AS EIGHTH GRADERS FROM ST. JOACHIM CATHOLIC SCHOOL PARTICIPATE IN THE SCHOOL’S ANNUAL CLAP-OUT, PARENTS CAPTURE
THE FESTIVITIES WITH THEIR CELL PHONES.
“I’m also excited to go to a new school where there’s new people that I haven’t met,” Reese Cornejo said.
Lindsay Grimm, mother of graduate Lila Grimm, was experiencing her second clap-out, having a child who graduated from St. Joachim last year.
With a fifth grader attending St. Joachim, Grimm will experience graduation festivities for the third time in three more years.
“We’ve always prided ourselves on being a small school,” she said. “You have parents of non-eighth graders who come out send off all of these eighth graders and come together as a community.”
She added: “This truly shows what St. Joachim is all about.”