{May 3, 2007 -- } Heritage Bank celebrated academic achievement with the seventh annual High Honors Recognition program for the exceptional students of Fayette County High School by extending the honors to include neighboring Starrs Mill High School. Best-selling author Ronda Rich entertained the group of 220 scholars and their families with her renowned humor as she drove home the message that hard work and persistence are the tools of success, and they should never give up their dreams.
“Heritage Bank strives to make our community a better place through our presence and our actions, and I cannot think of a better investment in our community than the education of our young people,” Heritage Bank Vice President Carol Colon told the students. “We are proud to honor you for your outstanding achievements and the standard of academic excellence you bring to your school.”
FCHS and SMHS students from ninth through twelfth grades must maintain a minimum grade of 93 percent in all of their classes in each grade of high school to earn High Honors. This year, nine FCHS students and eight SMHS students were each awarded a plaque for four consecutive years of High Honors achievement. Students also received an academic letter and a bar for their letter jackets and a certificate.
“This is a very prestigious honor, which these students have earned,” says FCHS assistant principal Kelly Taylor, emphasizing that most of the honorees are involved in an array school activities and athletics beyond the classroom. “We appreciate that Heritage Bank does this for our community because it allows these kids to really be recognized for their great work ethic and for making the right decisions. We are very proud of these students, and they and their families deserve the recognition.”
The High Honors program is the brainchild of Heritage Bank Executive Vice President Jack Bowdoin, who envisioned the positive impact of rewarding the academic accomplishments of local high school students. When Heritage Bank began the program with Fayette County High School in 2001, FCHS was a newly-minted National School of Excellence (2000).
“What a nice way for Heritage Bank to recognize our students for their achievements,” said Sue Zeller, mother of SMHS honoree Holly (’09). “And what a special opportunity it was to meet Ronda Rich!! She was delightful and we all – students and parents - left talking about what a great evening we had.”
The following students have earned High Honors at their high schools. Seniors received plaques for four consecutive years of achievement.
Fayette Co. High School
Ninth Grade
Kristin Aper
Daniel Branton
Krista Coburn
Chelsea Cummings
Adriana Farmer
Courtney Giebler
Sonya Jooma
Steven Nelson
Tuure Pasto
Sonika Reddy
Margarett Sechler
Danielle Shaver
Rachel Shirey
Navroz Tharani
Julian Urrego
Laura Zitelli
Tenth Grade
Elena Bergstrom
Emily Garrott
Jason Hartley
Michael Keel
Jennie Lee
Molly Martin
Cecelia Oparah
Auriana Parker
Christine Rape
Rebecca Smith
Eleventh Grade
Amy Evans
John Christian Concepcion
Sarah Dorney
Tenecia Harris
Amy Hebel
Mary Hendley
Kate Houghton
Joshua Parker
Wai-Yee Wong
Twelfth Grade
Stefan Coburn
Leslie Gable
Lindsey Gunter
Ryan Kennedy
Victoria Osilaja
Insiya Rasiwala
Hilary Rogers
Melissa Verrill
David Zitelli
Starrs Mill High School
Ninth Grade
Chelsea Barker
Jennifer Crotty
Olivia Davis
Katherine DelleDonne
Sarah Dixon
Allyson Duncan
Laura Eckhardt
Rebecca Fawley
Sara Hendrix
Joshua Hughes
Taylor Jones
Jessica Lambing
Katherine Ledbetter
Kathryn McCord
Shannon Mehl
Kashif Panjwani
Jessica Rexrode
Jacqueline Sample
Jennifer Sample
Braeden Snook
Catherine Sundloff
Lauren Swany
Elliott Tanner
Caleb Thornley
Cassandra Tinius
Jennifer Tyra
Mary Van Wert
Daniel Walsh
Johanna Weaver
Tenth Grade
Carlie Banks
Bethany Edmondson
Pharan Evans
Sarah Garcia
Natalie Hauser
John Kennedy
Samantha Lunsford
Brein Millea
Ryan O’Shaughnessy
Katherine Pierce
Krista Ritchie
Katherine Smith
Christopher Walsh
Matthew Ward
Arielle Weekley
Renee Wetli
Amy Wheble
Benjamin Whitmer
Holly Zeller
Eleventh Grade
Derek Abrams
Robin Atha
Kelsey Bishop
Christianna Bruno
Kristen Crotty
Marlene Davis
Kevin Harrell
Jamie Hertha
Reena Janssen
Jessica Lange
Rachel Mittelman
Emily Rourke
Christopher Sudduth
Julie Thompson
Vanessa Vogel
Twelfth Grade
Matthew Beeson
Claire Campbell
Ian Crawford
David Lowry
Anne Staigle
Amanda Statham
Elizabeth Weekley
Andrew Zheng