Skills learned beyond the classroom

By MARLEY GREEN Fountain Valley Living Magazine

Top FVHS class leaders look back on high school years, and bringing life back to the campus after COVID.

Fountain Valley High School alumni will remember the school’s motto: “B4L.”

The acronym stands for “Baron for life” and is chanted at spirit assemblies, graduation ceremonies and sports games.

The high school is known for its sense of spirit and welcoming community—two aspects of Baron life that top 2023 graduates Evelynn Pham and Sebastian Cao are passionate about.

“I see FVHS as an extension of my own home,” Sebastian said.

“It’s something I grew into. There’s a lot of people there I genuinely respect and look up to, even though they’re younger than me or the same age as me. They have different, diverse backgrounds, whether that be ethnicity, interests, anything like that.”

The two alumni, who served as class leaders and graduated at the top of the class in June, talked about the effects of the shutdowns on their school. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit during their freshman year, spirit events and campus culture felt like they came to a halt. Both grads said they felt like it was up to them to rebuild enthusiasm for school and get students to join clubs and extracurricular activities.

Evelyn and Sebastian talked about how their practice in building community at FVHS has prepared them both to do the same on their respective university campuses.

“Starting back from COVID was so diffcult,” Evelynn said. “I think to see how far I’ve grown might be my biggest accomplishment.”

Both Evelynn and Sebastian were involved in multiple clubs, played volleyball and earned high grades. On top of that, Evelynn was on the dance team and volunteered on weekends. They are also both studying biology in the fall on a pre-medical school track, with Evelyn at UC Irvine and Sebastian at UC San Diego.

They were both quick to describe how FVHS helped nurture their growth.

“Something I really appreciate is that there’s a huge culture around being academically and extracurricularly driven,” Evelynn said. “That’s something I want to continue being a part of in college.”

Sebastian had a zero through ffth period schedule during his senior year—unusual for a senior, who does not typically need to take six classes—but said he did not mind being at school for long because he liked being around his fellow students.

“As nerdy as it sounds, I actually love school,” Sebastian said. “It’s the people and the environment that make it so much more fun.”

Their advice to students? Say ‘yes.’

“It’s the frst step to having a good high school experience,” Evelynn said. “Of course, focus, study hard—school is school —but having fun is also a big thing.”