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Close to 200 awards and scholarships were given out to surprised, deserving 2017 SPHS Seniors last night at the Senior Awards Night in the auditorium. It was a full house of families, friends and teachers to watch and share in the often emotional evening. The feeling of South Pas pride in these stellar students was palpable as each recipient was honored by the various representatives of the scholarships. There were many memorial scholarships which are always touching as we hear about the person in whose honor the scholarship is given, followed by a description of the recipient and the gasp from the audience when the winner is announced.
Drama director Daniel Enright, Loretta (Lorie) Meza, , Cynthia Warren, Alana Carmona, & Charlotte Emerson. (not pictured: Paloma Strong)
The students receive a postcard letting them know they are to receive an award but have no idea what or how many, as several received multiple awards. It was heartwarming to hear the loudest cheers from fellow classmates and to see the genuine joy for each other as they shared their experience on stage.
Every single award is special but a few highlights were the Sportsmanship Award given to one female and one male athlete where Mr. Luna read quotes from their coaches and teammates about how these young people helped and inspired their fellow athletes. Not a dry eye in the place. Corporal Phillips honored fallen police officers by awarding three scholarships in their names. Mike Thurman of the SPHS alumni association spoke of librarian Mary Ida Phair among others as he awarded $27,500 in scholarships to 15 Seniors. So many of the South Pasadena organizations were represented like the Chinese American Club, Vecinos, PTSA, Rotary, Kiwanis, Oneonta, South Pasadena Women’s Club, So. Pas Chamber, all of whom gave out generous scholarships.
As mentioned above, there were several moving Memorial scholarships and it was obvious the recipients were incredibly honored and grateful. There were scholastic awards given out for literature, math, drama, art and sports and the National Merit Scholars were given their honorary gold ropes to wear with their caps and gowns on graduation day. South Pasadena is known for its distinguished schools and last night our Tiger Pride was strong indeed. Congratulations to all the Class of 2017 Award winners!
