On May 17, administration will hold the annual Scholarship Awards Night in the auditorium at 6:50 to recognize seniors. The event is free to attend. Throughout the night, students will receive recognition for scholarships and awards from colleges, the community and the school. 

“The date for awards night was strategically planned in accordance with a little look at athletic schedules, other awards nights, and facility rentals to make sure seniors can attend,” organizer Kelly Fate-Quinn said. “Students get called up and their scholarships or awards will be read out, and some students will be up there several times to be honored for their achievements.”

The ceremony will start with a presentation by JROTC showing off the school colors and playing the national anthem. After the presentation, principal Robert Frasca will give a welcome speech to the students and families attending. 

Afterwards, scholarships and community awards will be presented. This includes awards such as the Sam Momary Tradition of Excellence and the Sia Yorker Medical Science Scholarship as well as PTSA scholarships.

“Hagerty awards like those are going to be a surprise for the people who got them like some of the PTSA scholarships,” Fate-Quinn said. “It just depends on the group [that awarded the scholarship] and whether they want to remain anonymous.”

Senior Braylin Maxwell won multiple community awards, and has four that she knows of, which include the Aveda Woman Club scholarship and the Kiwanis scholarship.

“My mom found a lot of the awards for me, and a bunch could be found on the student services ecampus page,” Maxwell said. “It felt like my work was paying off.”

After community scholarships and awards are presented, administration will recognize the recipients of Seminole State College and University of Central Florida scholarships.  National Merit awards and department senior awards are set to follow, including Principal Leadership and Principal Citizenship Awards by Frasca. 

Scholarships can be achieved through personal identifications and hurdles, such as financial aid or medical struggles. Maxwell explains that she was able to receive the highest reward amount of $1500 for the Sia Yorker Medical Science Scholarship at the scholarship banquet in March.

“The foundation is named after a girl who was in med school studying to become a doctor and she died of a brain aneurysm randomly,” Maxwell said. “It’s really special to me because I had brain surgery in middle school and the scholarship board liked that I wanted to go into medicine, specifically neurology to help people because that’s what their whole mission is about too.”

Fate-Quinn believes that each senior is due for an acknowledgement of their accomplishments as their high school career comes to a close. 

“Students should be celebrated because they’ve worked really hard to get these scholarships,” Fate-Quinn said. “If you worked hard and you’re able to get rewarded with such achievements, then you should definitely be recognized.”