RANCHO MURIETA, CA (MPG) - Banners honoring Rancho Murieta’s graduating high school seniors are once again lining Murieta Parkway North and South, transforming the community’s main thoroughfares into a rolling celebration of local students.

Installed in mid-March by Rancho Murieta Association maintenance crews, this year’s display features approximately 63 seniors representing a wide range of schools and educational paths.

Each banner includes a portrait of the graduate along with their name and school, creating a highly visible tribute that has become a cherished community tradition.

What began in 2020 as a way to recognize seniors whose graduations were disrupted by COVID-19 has evolved into an annual celebration.

In that first year, 66 banners were funded by community groups to honor students who were missing milestone events. By 2022, the effort had shifted to a parent-driven model, with families funding banners while volunteers coordinated the program.

Today, the banners are no longer a substitute for lost ceremonies; they are an added layer of recognition that many families now look forward to each spring.

This year’s program was organized by senior moms Marissa Maranise and Keri Hanson, whose daughters have grown up together in the community.

“We worked amazingly together,” Maranise said, noting the pair began planning shortly after the school year started to ensure an earlier installation.

Families funded the banners, which cost just under $100 each. Tayco Graphics again produced the banners, with Maranise praising the company’s responsiveness and quality. 

“We were able to provide everything needed to create these beautiful banners,” she said.

To streamline the process, Hanson created an online form that allowed families to upload photos and information in one place, helping organizers to manage logistics and sort banners geographically.

While Pleasant Grove High School continues to account for the largest share of students, this year’s seniors attend a broad mix of schools, including Bradshaw Christian, Elk Grove, Ponderosa, Argonaut, Jesuit, Christian Brothers, St. Francis and Folsom High Schools, as well as Destiny Christian Academy.

Charter and independent study programs such as Visions In Education and South Sutter Charter School are also represented, reflecting the increasingly diverse educational paths of local students.

Organizers made a concerted effort to place banners on the side of the community where each student lives, asking families to designate north or south during the ordering process.

While placement is not guaranteed, the system helps to create a sense of neighborhood connection as residents spot familiar faces along their daily routes.

The banners are mounted on light standards along both Murieta Parkway North and South and are expected to remain up until mid-May, when they are typically replaced by the community’s Hometown Heroes veteran banners.

For Maranise, the banners represent more than recognition: They capture years of shared history in a close-knit community. 

“I’ve lived in RM South for almost 24 years. The banners represent my kids, my kids’ friends, my friends’ kids,” she said. “It sparks memories.”

She added that the display offers a welcome sense of positivity. 

“There are lots of negatives in this world … but these banners bring happiness to me,” she said.

As residents drive the parkways, the banners serve as a reminder of both individual achievement and collective pride.

“I’m so proud of our kids,” Maranise said. “I love that we can celebrate them in this way.”

With strong participation and early planning helping to extend the display into March, organizers say they hope to continue refining the program in future years.

Maranise has already committed to helping coordinate again next year: a sign that what began as a pandemic response has firmly taken root as a Rancho Murieta tradition.