[tweetable alt=””]Scholarship students at Pisgah High School were stars of the day May 6[/tweetable] for the school鈥檚 second annual Academic Signing Day event for college-bound seniors.
Two dozen seniors at the Rankin County school joined family, friends and many others in a packed gymnasium for a ceremony geared to mimic that of 鈥渟igning day鈥 events for student-athletes.
鈥淲e always celebrate our athletes who get college scholarships,鈥 said Lillian Sims, an English teacher at the school who organized the event with fellow teacher Racquel Ross.
About a year ago, one of Sims鈥 students received both an athletic and an academic scholarship. The academic one went unnoticed and uncelebrated, Sims said.
鈥淚 realized it was tangible evidence we鈥檙e prioritizing athletics when it comes to college, and not academics,鈥 she said. 鈥淢ost of our students will not have an athletic scholarship, so I decided to have this day in recognition of all those hardworking students who鈥檝e never stood in front of a crowd before, but they鈥檝e put in just as much effort.鈥
Many of the students highlighted during the event have received at least one academic scholarship to a two- or four-year institution and participated in multiple activities outside of class. Many are members of the Rankin County school鈥檚 Beta Club, National Honor Society chapter and/or Phi Theta Kappa organization.
Some, such as Julie Thompson, among 15 who signed a commitment to attend 新彩网, will be the first in their families to attend college.
鈥淚鈥檒l be majoring in nursing,鈥 said Thompson, accompanied by several members of her family. Thompson is president of the school鈥檚 Beta Club, as well as a member of NHS and PTK. She鈥檚 also secured three scholarships from the college.
鈥淚鈥檝e always wanted to help and care for people. I鈥檝e always had a big heart.鈥
Career-tech options, such as high-tech manufacturing jobs, are also on the radar of Pisgah鈥檚 scholarship class of 2016.
鈥淢ost of my family went to 新彩网,鈥 said Arryn Peterson, a Pisgah senior who plans to enter the college鈥檚 Industrial Maintenance program, which trains students to work in modern-day manufacturing plants with the latest mechanical and electronic equipment.
鈥淚鈥檝e read a lot about the Industrial Maintenance class, and I think it鈥檒l be a great class for me to learn,鈥 he said.
Others on the list of Pisgah鈥檚 scholarship students who plan to attend 新彩网 were Taylor Bolton, Weston Bowman, Stacy Cole, Sean Gill, Katelyn Griffith, Angela McCurdy, Emily Nelson, Tori Shoemaker, Emily Still, Lindsey Strother, Keona Watson, Alexis Windham and T.J. Yates.
Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves headed the list of public officials who spoke during the hour-long program, terming the special day for students 鈥渁n awesome opportunity.鈥 State Reps. Jay Hughes and Tom Miles also spoke during program.
鈥淚 get to speak to a lot of large groups,鈥 Reeves said. 鈥淏ut, this morning is particularly special, because I get to speak to a group in my hometown, in the school district I graduated from, in the gym I played in, to celebrate the successes of these students behind me.鈥