The Senior Awards Ceremony was held on May 10, in the Terri Procell Bowen Theater, where over 3.2 million dollars were awarded in all.

The Top 10 students include #1 in the class, Chase Miller (Valedictorian) and #2 in the class, Blake Harris (Salutatorian); #3 is Kayla Hubbard, #4 is Taylor Deike, #5 is Keely Walters, #6 is Michael Soriano, #7 is Courtney Jacobs, #8 is Aubrey Elder, #9 is Charlee Black, and #10 is Litzy Aparicio.

The Community Awards & Scholarships were awarded by local businesses and organizations totaling $41,150. KTBB awarded Harris the “Scholastic All Star Team”. Unique Custom Homes awarded $500 each to Chloe and Claire Gouldthorpe, Mykaela Alfred, and Oscar Bates. The Cherokee County Electric Cooperative Scholarship was awarded to Bryce Wages in the amount of $1,000. The East Texas Communities Foundation gave Madison Westerman a renewable scholarship of $1,500 a year. Business Professionals of America gave two $500 scholarships to members, Miller and David Doty. The Parent Action Committee selected Alfred, Aparico, and Eric Hammons to receive $1,500 scholarships. Hammons also received a scholarship for $7,600 from Atria Group. The Juneteenth Organization chose Decambrian Berry for their $500 scholarship while the Jr. League’s Beverly Beird Young Women organization selected Hubbard for their $3,000 Leadership Scholastic Scholarship. NPT Energy awarded Hammons with another scholarship for $1,000. Hubbard was also the recipient of the Luminant Scholar Program’s $1,000 scholarship. Tyler’s Smith County CrimeStoppers Scholarships went to Elder and Deike in the amount of $1,500 each. The Annie Massenburge “Heart of Gold” $500 scholarship went to Jason Cooks for his dedication to community service. Chapel Hill’s International Club raised money through their annual Bon-Bon sales and awarded a $1,000 scholarship to Alesha Lewis. The Chapel Hill Athletic Booster Club chose Harris, Wages, and Cale Caruthers to each receive a $500 scholarship as well as Deike and Jacobs to each receive a $1,000 scholarship. The Chapel Hill Band Booster Club chose Doty, Miller, and Hanna Vale to each receive a $1,000 scholarship. The Chapel Hill Lions Club Scholarship went to Elder, Miller, Osvaldo Campos, James Carter, Kadarian Chase, and Kolton Parcher. Victoria McClay received two $1,000 scholarships from Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, INC and for the ETMC Volunteers Scholarship. The Texas Association of Basketball Officials awarded Alfred a $1,000 scholarship. The Culinary ProStart Scholarships went to Alexis Kuykendale, Maya Reazin, and Shie Sutton.

College and University Scholarships were also announced and totaled over $2 million. Abilene Christian University awarded Jacobs with a $65,000 Presidential Scholar scholarship as well as a $60,000 Royce L Money Chancellor’s Award.  Culinary school, Johnson and Wales gave Reazin a $58,000 scholarship and Kuykendale a $52,000 scholarship. East Texas Baptist University gave David Harrison $48,000 total for their Christian Leadership Scholarship and their Dean’s Scholarship. LeTourneau University awarded the $14,000 LETU Award/Trustee’s Scholarship, for softball , to Katelyn Trombley and the Dean’s Scholarship to Eric in the amount of $16,000 per year. Lewis was given the $100,000 Mood Scholar Award and the $16,000 Dixon Scholarship from Southwestern University. NorthEastern State awarded Sydnee Balderrama a $48,000 scholarship for softball.

“I feel extremely blessed to have received these Scholarships to such a prestigious university”,said Harrison. “I’m so excited that with them I will able to do what the Lord has called me to do”.

Tyler Junior College named the Presidential Honors Scholarships, totaling $67,000, to Walters, Elder, Hubbard, McClay, Soriano, Wages, Isis Cosette De La Garza, Elizabeth Turner, and Andy Alfaro. TJC also gave Ladarian Hudson a full scholarship to play football and a $2,000 performance grant for Hubbard to dance for the Apache Belles. Texas A&M Commerce accepted Miller into their Honors College program in the amount of $68,000 where he was accepted in their Band Program. Their Blue and Gold Scholarships were awarded to Megan Tucker in the amount of $4,900 and to Harrison in the amount of $1,250 per year. The University of Texas at Arlington announced that Hanna Vale was the recipient of their $8,000 Maverick Academic Scholarship. Texas Lutheran University gave Jordan Williams $33,000 football scholarship and gave Harrison a renewable $15,000 scholarship. The University of Texas at Tyler chose Aparicio and Maddie Sears for their $4,000 Achievement Award. They also awarded a full Employee Offspring Benefits scholarship to Miles Miller. The University of Oklahoma Nonresident Merit Award was given to Deike in the amount of $16,000. Campos was given a Seminarian Scholarship for $10,000 per year at the University of Dallas to become a priest. The University of Texas at Austin awarded Nick Payne with the University Leadership Network Scholarship for $20,000 as he was accepted into their Moody School of Film program.

“It was exciting receiving such a great scholarship”,said De La Garza, It is even more exciting to get to build the type of future that I want to with the opportunities that have been given to me”.

Military Scholarships were also announced by the United States Army, the United States Marines, and the United States Navy. Seniors Christian Leady, Sean King, Esmeralda Hernandez, Kaleb Golden, Miguel Amaro, Desiree Tillman, Nick Lee, and Kolby Freeman were all awarded Montgomery G.I. Bills amounting $138,000 each by SSGT. K. Johnson and SSGT. R. Rivera of the US Army. Tyler Reeves and Joseph Miller were also awarded Montgomery G.I. Bills equaling enough to pursue Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees by SSGT. C. Wilkins of the US Marines. Cruz Vargas and Kaylor Williams were awarded Montgomery G.I. Bills, as well, for over $125,000 by Petty Officer J. Smith of the US Navy.