Class of 2025 donates field-day equipment and money for students in need

Hapag High School seniors announced during the school’s Feb. 2025 graduation ceremony that the class of 2025 will donate new equipment for Senior Field Day and make a monetary donation to help students in need. The announcement was made by senior class officers Caitlin Weinstein, Haley Wilcox, Nicole Esposito and Emily Prisgan and acknowledged on stage by Principal Joe Wykhorst.

Why it matters: The gift is intended to sustain a school tradition and to lessen barriers for students who otherwise could not participate in activities. The officers said the equipment is “brand new” and that the monetary donation is “to help students in need,” but the amount and mechanism for distributing the funds were not specified during the ceremony.

Details: The class officers said their donation is intended to enable future seniors to “continue to make joyful memories” at Senior Field Day and to assist classmates who “may have quietly struggled.” Principal Joe Wykhorst thanked the class for the contribution and said the “financial contribution will help so many students who need it and the equipment will absolutely create a lot of fun for years to come.”

Context and next steps: The announcement came during the student remarks portion of the ceremony and was presented as a class initiative rather than a formal district action. The ceremony transcript does not record a formal acceptance vote by the Board of Education or a staff description of how the funds will be administered. School staff or district offices may need to document acceptance and establish distribution procedures for the monetary gift.