Ceremony allows teachers to show appreciation of student dedication

“You are being recognized for what you do naturally…what you do each and every day,” principal April Scott said.

Over 160 students were recognized by their teachers on May 18 at lunch in the Field House for demonstrating excellence. The annual Purple and Gold Awards ceremony is an opportunity given to teachers to nominate students that they feel have excelled throughout the year, whether it be through their work ethic, dedication to the subject, or the fact that they’ve shown that they really do care about what they learn.

Freshman Shannon Wu, who assisted in preparations for the event, agreed that the awards were a good way for students to realize that their teachers do recognize that they are working hard.

“[However] I think for some people they might feel bad about themselves because they think they should get an award but they didn’t,” Wu said.

English department chair and teacher, Debbie Vanni explained her method of selecting students she felt deserved to be recognized.

“From the top of my head I’ll write down maybe five names and I’ll just let it sit and then I’ll decide [on one student] from there,” Vanni said.

In terms of deciding what kind of student she should pick, Vanni explained that it depended on their own efforts to excel in the subject.

“[It’s] not necessarily an A student, but they have a love for what we’re talking about in class what they’re reading, what they’re writing based on,” Vanni said. “Someone that’s genuinely interested in the subject is someone who is deserving of the purple and gold award.”

Though some students may have mixed feelings about the awards, the intent—allowing teachers to show their appreciation for their students—is a positive one, encouraging students to work harder, ask more questions, and express their desire to learn.