2016 Recipients

The 2016 Senior Awards Program

The 2016 Seniors Awards Program went well as all previous ones. Reports of the evening ceremonies speak of a most rewarding evening for all; honorees, award recipients, families and friends. The directors of the alumni groups, businesses, institutions, Tiger Action Center (TAC) and Tiger Pride Alumni Association (TPAA), are very pleased that the 2016 graduates received over $160,000 in scholarships! Also TAC-TPAA directors are also very pleased with their participation, the alumni members and others in the community raised $20,000 this year, meaning 20 scholarships of $1,000 each.

This 2016 scholarship campaign is the first one in which the directors of TPAA shared leadership of the drive with TAC. That active participation of all TPAA directors in the drive must have made a big difference as the drive ended with double the 2015 total of $10,000, a grand total, as report above, of $20,000.

All TPAA directors participated in the awards program and followed it with a reception for the recipients. All seven directors participated in the awards ceremony (except for the founder, Richard Ray Williams, who could be there in spirit only).

Judy Walker (Class of 1964) served as announcer for TAC-TPAA awards. Mrs. Walker wore two hats: with double leadership roles by being both a TAC and TPAA director. When the program got to the TAC – TPAA scholarships, Mrs. Walker, first, introduced TPAA to the audience. That included introducing each of the directors, each standing in turn to be recognized by the audience.

Then she began a process of announcing the names of the twenty recipients and directing each senior in an alternating pattern, to Kellie Cook (Class of 1964), President of TPAA, or Clarence (“Smitty”) Smith (Class of 1960), Director, TPAA. Alternating seniors, President Cook and Director Smith congratulated each and presented him or her with their scholarship certificates. The recipients and their family and friends were invited to the TAC-TPAA reception following the Awards Program. Spieth Photography took a group photograph.

The names of the individual recipients are presented below.

Noah Allen
Curtis Ballard
Kristen Brian
Kylar Craig
Kylee Cummins
Derek Deimel
Martin DeVenicia
Hannah Hahn
Baylie Houchin
Tanner Hout
Mary Grace Inyart
Addie Keller
Jordan Laughlin
Tanner Scherer
Kaylee Shouse
Haley Simpson
Holly Stallard
Austin Urfer
Brock VanBlaricum
Peyton Wesner

The TPAA reception took place at the high school immediately after the 2016 RCHS Awards Program. As is common of such receptions, the directors presented a social event celebrating a life-changing event. Cake and punch were served. The directors welcomed the guests, congratulated the students, and talked briefly about TAC and TPAA. They invited the graduates to join TAC. Director Smith reports that many of the recipients attended the reception.

The recipients learned that, unlike the past years when the recipients were handed a check, this year Janet Everette, TPAA Treasurer, would mail the check to the registrar of the post-secondary educational center named by the recipient.

During the awards ceremony, the document that the TAC-TPAA director handed each recipient was a special certificate designed specifically for the 2016 graduating class and for the individual. Founder Richard Williams designed the certificate, assisted with advice from Director Smith and with technical assistance with past TAC photography director, Stan Gill. As in the past two years, Smitty, an artist with calligraphy skills, beautifully inscribed the names of the recipients on the certificate, making each one a souvenir of the night and an art object suitable for framing.

In the first two years when founder Richard Williams conducted the drive alone, he needed the principal to represent TAC at the ceremony. The then principal, Chris Simpson, was happy to do so. Then for 2013 program, Judy Walker, as the representative of TAC to ERHS, presented our certificates to the graduating seniors. For the 2015 event, Kellie Cook, President of TPAA, assisted her. And so as reported above, the directors of TPAA provided the leadership of the 2016 RCHS TAC-TPAA scholarship campaign, with both the drive and the activities at the 2016 Awards evening. Director Smith reports that the families and friends of those attending the RCHS 2016 Senior Awards Program enjoyed the participation of the directors of TAC and TPAA.