Tonight, May 15, Senior Awards Night will be a night to celebrate accomplishments of the seniors’ past four years of their high school careers. Seniors need to arrive at 6:00 p.m., and the event will begin at 6:30. The event will be held in the gym to accommodate nearly half of the senior class who is nominated, and their guests.

“I think it celebrates four years of achievements. You have been the best of the best in order to get that,” Lisa Woodum, guidance counselor, said.

Students can be invited to attend this evening for a variety of accomplishments from excelling in a varsity sport to receiving a scholarship.

“I got a multicultural award at Maryville for my hearing impairment.” senior Deanna Bonney,said. “I am very proud of this year. Even just making Cum Laude has made me very happy and my family very pleased.”

Senior Awards Night is a way to acknowledge students efforts at the end of the road. This event enables students to show feats some may not have known about them and recognizes specific personal accomplishments such as a student receiving a departmental award can be a surprise to people who may not know that student.

“It’s a nice way to end the school year and that carries into graduation,” Woodrum said. “With seniors bringing their families and the FHN family it is a very nice evening. You get to see the personal sides of students’ lives.”

Senior Awards Night is different from graduation, instead of walking across stage in the same cap and gown as everyone else, students are able to express their unique gifts through the awards they receive.

“I think it shows this big ‘hoorah’ because graduation is the same recognition,” senior Courtney Vishy said. “It allows you to be an individual. It shows how different we can all be.”

High school is a time where teenagers can become mature young adults, share their skills and also is a place where students can safely learn from mistakes and grow from them as a person.

“I would tell the freshmen to never let anything go by unsaid, live as many experiences as you can in the time that you get in high school,” senior Joe Henke said.

Senior Awards Night started over 20 years ago by Barb Hengehold, a retired teacher at FHN.

“It was started because so many students were doing great things. We are all in this to see students do well,” Woodrum said.