Many talented seniors and a few extraordinary juniors were honored at the Academy Awards May 26. Students and parents alike were kept in suspense as they nervously entered the auditorium, unaware of what award they were to receive.

To start off the senior awards ceremony, perhaps a bit ironically, five juniors were awarded with prestigious titles ranging from “Yale Book Award” all the way to “The Daughters of American Revolution Award.”The juniors that were awarded were Lila Pisello- Deuga, Oceana Haaland, Gabriela Navarro, Kyra Benowitz and Hana Chen.

Going forward, there were nearly 30 scholarships awarded to both individuals and groups of people, from various organizations. Most notably, senior Leslie Escobedo, recipient of the Gate’s Millennium Scholarship, will get all education expenses paid in their entirety- both for the college of her choice and any post-graduate education she may pursue. Additionally, standout senior Nate Neumann won “Science Super Star,” the National Merit Scholarship and the “Essence of the Academy”.

For the Mustang Super Star award, there were three: Hailey Reeves, Reiko Inouye, and Mari Harnish- all three senior directors. Their hard work and compassion was touched upon by ASB teacher, Rod Keillor.

Emotions ran high during this ceremony. Both tears and laughs were to be had, but above all, there was a sense of pride. With fear of being too sentimental, Japanese teacher Tsuboi Rie, decided to lighten the mood with a story. She talked about how she happened upon senior Luke Krieger, honored that night, texting during her class. When she attempted to reprimand him, he showed her that the texts were in Japanese. At that, upon looking over the messages, she felt obligated to remark: “It was good Japanese, too- with the grammar and everything. How do you punish him for that?”

Indeed, this was no night for reprimanding nor for consequences. It was a night where students were wholly recognized for years upon years of hard work, from teachers and organizations alike. Perhaps, most memorable, was the “Zake Morgan Memorial Scholarship”, awarded to senior Vivien Vaucher. History teacher Kerry Koda was the spokesperson and it was difficult for her to not get emotional: “You embody so much of what Zake did… Kindness, compassion… I’m proud to see that Zake’s light will shine on in her endeavors.”

While the night was mostly dedicated to honoring academic achievement, upstanding character is not overlooked in the process, and this was seemingly embodied by every deserving recipient.