Students at PV High School were recognized at the Pleasant Valley High School Academic Awards on March 27, 2019 for their academic achievements.
All grade levels at the PV high school were able to receive awards for their academic excellence. Students receiving awards were invited to attend the ceremony, held in the high school theater. This year’s academic awards introduced a new award: the Biliteracy Seal Award.
Senior Susan Anil thinks recognizing students for their academics emphasizes the importance of this traditional ceremony. “I think that having Academic Award night is important because it recognizes all the hard academic work students are doing throughout the year,” she said.
There were 87 students awarded with the Biliteracy Seal Award. A few of these students were also recipients of Dual Seals, meaning they are fluent in two other languages besides English. Those recipients were Solange Bolger, Marali Sanchez, Ranai Srivastav, and Mackenzie Wisneski.
Several other awards were also announced: Academic Excellence, Academic Honors, and Freshman Honors. To receive either the Academic Excellence Award or the Freshman Honors, a student must have a GPA of 4.0 or higher for the past two semesters. To meet the requirements to receive Academic Honors, one must have a GPA of 3.75-3.99 for the previous two semesters.
PV senior Christy Bishop thinks having Academic Awards night is beneficial to students. “I think that it’s important to show of the students that have been working hard, that their efforts do not go unnoticed,” she said.
More awards were presented besides the academic awards. The recipient of the 2018-2019 Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science Award was Mitchell Strobbe. The recipient of 2018-2019 Dar Good Citizen Award was Natalie Murphy. At the ceremony, they also recognized the 2018-2019 National Merit Commended students: Jacob Bandy, Alexander Haack, Shashank Inampudi, Mallory Lafever, Aman Manaszir, and Sujay Mariesetty.
The committee also awarded the 2018-2019 National Merit Finalists as well: Kaitlyn Ryan, Justin Sehlin, and Sarah Warner.
Overall, Academic Awards night 2019 recognized students those of academic achievements, whether by maintaining a high GPA, being biliterate, or both.