Starkville High School recognized its class of 2018 with an academic signing day Tuesday.
The event gave several SHS seniors an opportunity to publicly state their intentions for after high school, and sign to make it official. Students on academic, career/ technical and military paths participated. SHS alumna and Mississippi State University women’s basketball player Blair Schaefer also spoke at the assembly. Students signed intentions to go down several paths ranging from Ivy League universities to barber training academies.
Assistant Principal Ginger Tedder said it was the first year SHS had held such an event.
“We wanted to celebrate our students that were going to college,” Tedder said. “Often, we do athletic signings, so several of us had the idea to do a college signing, and because we’re going into the career academies in the 2019 school year, we wanted to celebrate everyone. We wanted to be inclusive, so we included the military and the workforce.”
Tedder said SHS planned to make the academic signing day an annual event. She also said the signing day had been in the works since the beginning of the school year. “The kids wanted this event, so we try to be receptive of what our kids want,” Tedder said. “We got a committee of the kids together, and we planned it.”
Tedder also said it was important to recognize students for academic achievement, and show support for their future plans.
“I think it’s good to recognize students’, not just athletics, but academics,” said senior Reese Dunne, who will attend MSU as a presidential scholar. “We had 150 people that seemed to enjoy it. It was great.”
Senior Sarah Heard, who will attend the University of Pennsylvania, explained her college choice.
“I wanted to do finance, which the University of Pennsylvania is really good for,” Heard said. “I either want to do consulting or tech investment, so that’s why.”
As a MSU Presidential Scholar, Dunne will attend MSU on a full scholarship to study mechanical engineering. He will also participate in the university’s MBA Venture Pathway program through the MSU College of Business, which will provide an accelerated path to a MBA degree.
“I’m just looking forward to taking the nest step,” Dunne said. “It’s going to be so different. Even though I’m still going to be in Starkville, it’s going to be extremely different from high school, a lot harder, and a lot more fun, I feel like. Of course, I’ll miss my classmates, but I’m just excited to take that next step.”
The SHS Class of 2018 will include approximately 315 graduates. Commencement is scheduled for 6 p.m. May 25 at the Humphrey Coliseum.