At Arroyo Grande High, the privilege of using non-structured senior portraits has been taken away, leaving many frustrated and in distress as this information was not published until school had started.  Many seniors have already taken their senior portraits, leaving many with limited options and the question of whether or not to retake their portraits.

“ I spent money and got picture but half of them I can’t use, now I feel like we should get a bit of leniency from the waste up,” said Keylani Ascensio (‘24).

Ascencio isn’t the only senior who felt  this way. Many others were also caught off guard by this change and the lack of knowledge of it prior to summer. 

“I wish we would’ve known ahead of time, that way it would’ve been easier to take portraits,” Kahlea Cajas (‘24) said.

Many seniors wondered why the information wasn’t published until the beginning of the school year.

 “[The decisions has] definitely gotten a lot of confusion and probably just frustration on that and that it wasn’t announced sooner.” said yearbook student Parker Viollette (24’).

Senior Administrator Andrea Lee had earlier declined the detailed proposal to re-establish senior quotes that had been shut down the year prior. 

“It was just kinda frustrating cause she said they shut  [them]  down for various reasons and she listed absolutely none,”  said Viollette (24’). 

While Senior quotes are less of a concern compared to senior portraits for this years seniors, many felt their ability to express themselves have been further limited by both the deletion of senior quotes and now the new guidelines for senior portraits. 

“I feel like when I was younger I looked at the senior portraits and was like ‘Oh My Gosh!’ look how pretty their background is. I can’t wait till my picture is like that in the yearbook. After using our school ID pictures for so long, I think that it is a little bit unfair,” said Ascencio. 

Some seniors aren’t as bothered by the guidelines and feel it is better for the student community. Student Bethany Dowd states “ I think its a lot more pressure to have to do,  if everybody else is doing  full portraits and multiple pictures then kinda everybody has to do that”. 

Another senior, Justin Beas states an alternate idea that Violette touched upon in her interview as well, stating that “ I agree with them that way other students can see the actual students and that way they’re not far away”.

While students on campus have mixed feelings about the change in guidelines, the question remains as to why they were changed and why the change was announced so late into the year.