On a cloudy and warm evening, Paint Branch held its annual academic awards night to celebrate the academic accomplishments of graduating seniors.

At around 7 PM, award winners, their friends, and families arrived to the school. The evening started off with light refreshments, and the air was filled with excitement and anticipation as award recipients were not told what awards they were going to receive.

After the refreshments, students and their guests entered the auditorium. Dr. Yarbrough welcomed the guests and said a few words about the success of the students. She then informed the audience that it was her daughter’s birthday, which led to the audience singing happy birthday.

After the impromptu song, the evening’s program began. Each school department honored students with “Department Awards for Outstanding Achievement and Progress.” Other awards and scholarships followed including several military-themed scholarships, Distinguished Hispanic Scholar, the Harvard University Book Prize, and the Marian Greenblat Education Fund Scholarship. The Senatorial Scholarship was presented by State Senator Craig Zucker.

Other awards honored students who maintained a weighted GPA over a 4.0 for all four years of high school, as well as awards for Top Scholars -students who finished in the top 5% of the senior class – and awards for seniors who best represent the morals and principles of Paint Branch.
Overall the evening was filled with joy as seniors who worked hard for the past four years were honored for their efforts.