As the school year starts to come to a close and fourth quarter arrives, end of year activities are only beginning. The yearly 4.0 luncheon is expected to take place on May 21 at the outdoor tennis courts here at FHN. This luncheon is an event to honor seniors who have maintained a 4.0 GPA for the first seven semesters of their high school career. Students who get to attend the event will be treated with lunch as well as the honorary cords and certain medals. This year’s event however will look different then past luncheons.

“It will be changed a lot. So each of the three schools actually are doing their own thing and we specifically are doing an outdoor luncheon rather than a formal catered event,” head principal Nathan Hostetler said. “We’re actually bringing in food trucks and providing students with lunch vouchers so they can eat for free at those food trucks and get whatever it is there heart desires.”

These changes are due in part to COVID-19. Typically in past years, all three Francis Howell schools have had their 4.0 luncheon’s together. But instead each school is doing their own private event. 

“Me and Mrs. Scheller get the list of students and we create an invitation and permission slips for each student,” event coordinator Kristen Johnson said. “We are currently finding food trucks and working out the food situation, almost like a party planner.”

For the honorees at the luncheon, they will receive their cords to wear during graduation as well as various awards. Ending the evening, students will discuss their hopes and dreams for the future and their career aspirations.

“Everyone who earns a 4.0 gets to wear the a chord at graduation, and when students graduate they’re only allowed to wear school sanctioned academic regalia,” Hostetler said. “So those cords are a big deal, everyone knows what they mean when they wear one.”

For all the seniors graduating and moving forward with life, faculty at FHN want to recognize students for all their hard work throughout their high school career.

“I think seniors who have made it this far with a 4.0 deserve recognition and I feel this year it seems more special because we haven’t had to have celebrations and such and I’m happy that we get to celebrate these students,” Johnson said. “I just look forward to seeing how happy and excited they are about being celebrated and just having a chance to honor them for an awesome accomplishment.”