Montgomery County Seniors Showcase Smarts and Service
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Members of the Montgomery County High School Class of 2025 were honored for their academic achievements and service to the community during the school’s Senior Honors Night on Tuesday, May 13.
During the ceremony, Montgomery County High School Beta Club Sponsor Kerri Anderson informed attendees that the school’s Beta Club had ranked both statewide and nationally at one point within the year because of the number of community service hours logged by the school’s Beta Club members. Anderson said that the Class of 2025 had logged over 3,000 community service hours during their four years of high school.
Paris Ann Thornton received a medal for recording the most community service hours within the senior class, as Thornton logged 634 hours of service during high school.
In addition to this, several seniors were honored with scholarships and awards acknowledging their excellence in the classroom.
Twenty-three students were recognized as honor graduates: Erin Adams, Mariana Alonso, Valdreidy Alonso-Nanduca, Alex Autry, Max Barrow, Mairin Bivins, Alexis Blanton-Page, Aryana BonVino, Arriyana Brown, Seth Carelock, Jamun Coglin, Maddox Evans, Jared Lugo, Emily Morrison, Gabrielle Nelms, Joanna Pantoja-Aguirre, Autumn Pittman, Landon Powell, Charles Rogers, Paris Ann Thornton, Valeria Vazquez-Maldonado, Taneria Wells, and Kee’Marhia Williams.
Tulsi Patel is the Class of 2025 Valedictorian; Yarizbeth Ortiz is the Class of 2025 Salutatorian.
One student was selected by teachers to win an award for excellence in each subject throughout the year. Subject award winners were Anna Ackley – English Language Arts (ELA), Valeria Vazquez-Maldonado – Math, Max Barrow – Science, Tulsi Patel – Social Studies, Landon Powell — Agriculture, Erin Adams – Business, and Family Science – Arriyana Brown. Lucy Chambers, Gabrielle Nelms, Paris Ann Thornton, and Tulsi Patel were also honored for their excellence in the work-based learning program. Arriyana Brown received the class’s Character Award. Eleven students received award for completing a technical education certificate or earning credit for at least 12 college credit hours from Southeastern Technical College: Erin Adams, Clayton Adams, Tyrone Allen, Valdreidy Alonso-Nanduca, Alexis Blanton-Page, Maddox Evans, Amira Moye, Landon Powell, Valeria Vazquez-Maldonado, and Kee’Marhia Williams.
Alex Autry and Taylor Scott were presented with a separate award for completing over 30 college credit hours at Southeastern Technical College with a “C” average or higher.
Brewton-Parker College acknowledged four students for earning the Dual Enrollment Excellence Scholarship, which allows the students to attend four years of college tuition-free at the College. To qualify for this scholarship, these students had to complete at least two semesters of dual enrollment classes at the College and to be in good academic standing. The recipients of this scholarship were Anna Ackley, Mairin Bivins, Gabrielle Nelms, and Paris Ann Thornton.
Former Montgomery County Development Authority Executive Director Joe Fillipone presented four students with the John Robison Silicon Ranch Scholarship. Normally, only two of these $5,000 scholarships are issued to the Montgomery County High School graduating class; however, because of the second phase of the Silicon Ranch solar panel farm coming online at the end of 2024, the scholarship fund has increased, and now allows four $5,000 scholarships to be issued. The recipients of these scholarships were Max Barrow, Gabrielle Nelms, Tulsi Patel, and Paris Ann Thornton.
Other scholarships issued during the ceremony were:
Erin Adams: Milbern and Thelma McRae Memorial Scholarship, Meadows Hospital Auxiliary Scholarship, Brittany Ward Scholarship, Christine C. Harris Scholarship, Tri-County Family Connection Scholarship, Community Men in Action Coach Wilbert Snell Scholarship, Coach John M. Peacock Scholarship, Lillie B. Johnson Memorial Scholarship, Vidalia Lions Club Scholarship, Verail Women’s Club Scholarship Gabrielle Nelms: Barbara Thompson Conner Scholarship (presented by Montgomery County 4-H), Estelle Walker Jackson Scholarship, Teach the Peach Scholarship, Reverend Robert J. Conner Memorial Scholarship Tulsi Patel: Kiwanis Club of Vidalia Dr. Larry Smith Scholarship, American Red Cross Scholarship, Faye D. Brewer Memorial Scholarship Miracle Nobles: e Legacy Scholarship (in memory of Charles Nobles), Talmadge McClendon Jr. Memorial Scholarship Alex Autry: Turner Brice Memorial Scholarship Charles Rogers: American Red Cross Scholarship Jayden Harris: Brit –
tany Ward Scholarship Debora Sosa: Ameri can Red Cross Scholarship Taneria Wells: Mil bern and Thelma McRae Memorial Scholarship Valeria Vazquez- Maldonado: American Red Cross Scholarship Amira Moye: e Legacy Scholarship (in memory of Charles Nobles) Dekimber Wright: American Red Cross Scholarship The Montgomery County High School Class of 2025 will graduate at 8 p.m. on Friday, May 23, at Brogdon Field.
