May 30, 2021

Golden Triangle Early College High School sophomores and juniors were recognized during an Awards Day May 18 in the Lyceum Auditorium on East Mississippi Community College’s Golden Triangle campus.

GTECHS students from both the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years were recognized for their academic achievements, personal attributes and contributions to the high school.

During the ceremony, four annual GTECHS awards were named after people who had made a significant impact on the school. The honorees were recognized and presented with plaques. The High Five Award was named after West Point Consolidated School District Superintendent Burnell McDonald.

The school’s Wildcat Award was named after EMCC Board of Trustees member Hazel Johnson, while the Spirit of GTECHS Award will bear the name of Bo Diermann. The ROAR Award was named after EMCC Vice President of Operations Dr. Paul Miller.

“Today I want to recognize and honor four GTECHS champions who have supported us, fought for us and helped us grow through the years,” GTECHS Principal Jill Savely said during the ceremony. “Today, we will be adding the names of these individuals to the four highest awards that GTECHS gives each year. Thank you for your never ending support. We wouldn’t be here today without you.”

Here is what Savely had to say about McDonald: “Since the day we opened, Mr. Burnell McDonald has visited our campus to see his students from West Point working in our classrooms. He has collaborated with us to determine how GTECHS can best serve the surrounding communities and he has fought for our doors to remain open. We appreciate his tenacity, his guidance and his belief in our program. Today we establish the Burnell McDonald High Five Award.”

She had this to say about Johnson: “I recently read a quote that says, ‘Don’t underestimate me because I’m quiet. I know more than I say, I think more than I speak and I observe more than you know.’ How perfectly that describes Mrs. Hazel Johnson. Most of you don’t know Mrs. Johnson’s face, but you better believe she knows you. She checks up on you, she advocates for you and she works very quietly, behind the scenes, to support GTECHS. Although she is quiet, she is definitely a Wildcat and she has got the letter jacket to prove it. Today we establish the Hazel Johnson Wildcat Award.”

Diermann has supported GTECHS since its inception and continued to do so after his granddaughter graduated from the school two years ago.

“He makes and donates the beautiful fire pits that the PTO raffles each year,” Savely said. “He stops to visit us when he is near campus, never fails to ask us what we need and always goes out of his way to lend a helping hand. Today we establish the E.L. ‘Bo’ Diermann Spirit of GTECHS Award.”

The ROAR Award was established to honor a student who keeps working until they succeed.

“The students who receive this award never quit and neither does Dr. Paul Miller,” Savely said. “Dr. Miller has always been one of our biggest GTECHS fans and has worked tirelessly over the years to ensure that our partnership with EMCC remains strong and successful. Today we establish the Dr. Paul Miller ROAR Award.”

The annual Awards Day for the 2019-20 school did not take place because of the novel coronavirus and those students were invited to participate in the event this year. Their awards were presented first.

2019-20 SCHOOL YEAR AWARDS

Math Awards

Algebra I – Antie Macon

Geometry – Lillian Dejean

Algebra II – Frederica Hargrove

English Awards

9th Grade – Kamri Robinson

10th Grade – Abby Romig

Science Awards

Biology I – Lillian Dejean

Anatomy and Physiology –  Hannah Self

Chemistry – Frederica Hargrove

ACT Prep

Destiny Kayla Jones

 Abby Romig

History Awards

U.S. Government – Lillian Dejean

Economics – Lillian Dejean

U.S. History – Frederica Hargrove

Borlaug Scholars

Students in the 2019-20 Economics classes were tasked with writing an essay for the World Food Prize competition at Mississippi State University. They are asked to research a specific global food security factor of a developing country, write a five-page paper in MLA format describing the issues they discovered and propose solutions to fix the problems. Nine students completed the necessary requirements and were named Borlaug scholars. They are: Ethan Box, Faith Franklin, Rebecca Fulgham, Shakayla Hughes, Ian Robertson, Kevon Scales, Leah Shaw, Eboni Sherrod and Charlie Williams.

Science Fair

In partnership with Mississippi State University, students were given the opportunity to participate in science fair. Dr. Shana Lee, an MSU professor, worked with the students to plan their projects, complete their research and present their results. The science fair participants were Aziya Hill, Andrew Woody, Taylor Johnson, Destiny “Kayla” Jones, Kevin Scales, Faith Franklin, Makaylin Jackson, Shakayla Hughes, Kylen Savors and Aaliyah Young.

PRIDE Award

The PRIDE Award is presented to freshmen and sophomore GTECHS students who excel in their studies as they begin taking college courses at EMCC.

The 2019-20 Freshman PRIDE Award winners are Draco Andol, Kaylee Bauer, Gracie Belyeu, Ethan Charles Box, Dedric Bryant, Miasia Clopton, Victoria Cooper, Giavanna Criscione, Shalarria Crook, Lillian Dejean, Christian Depew, Sean Driskill, Katherine Dunstan, Todd Ellis, Macie Enas, Michael Evans, Nakerricka Ewing, Faith Franklin, Lydia Frisby, Rebecca Fulgham, Paola Garcia, Noah Garrett, McKari Hall, Alycia Harris, Madison Harris, Zhaquerriah Harris, Aniyah Henley, Aziya Hill, Shakayla Hughes, Alayna Ivy, Jada Ivy, Taylor Johnson, Antie Rose Macon, Micah Ming, Mahogany Perry, Abigail Petty, Conner Price, Chloe Richardson, Sydney Rickert, Ian Robertson, Trinity Robertson, Kamri Robinson, Kevon Scales, Leah Shaw, Eboni Sherrod, Tyler Staten, Ethan Stone, John Tompkins, Macy Vice, Charlie Williams, Rebecca Wilson, Andrew Woody and Smith Wooten.

The 2019-20 Sophomore PRIDE Award winners are Ashref Abdulla, Kyndall Barnett, Shakyus Brewer, Samya Brooks, Honor Brown, Brianna Burrage, Roslyn Butler, Jonena Cane, Sarah Clark, Jonathan Conner, Jalaya Evans, Mason Gerberg, Jordan Gillespie, Mylor Hammond, Fredericka Hargrove, Zion Harris, Jerry Hill, Jaelyn Johnson, Layla Johnson, Destiny Jones, Paulina Leyva, Jada Mason, Kaland Mobley, Dixie Mullen, Saterra Nicholson, Kenya Peoples, Gabriel Phillips, Larry Pierson, Mary Redman, Abby Romig, Jordan Rowan, Kylen Savors, Hannah Self, Sarah Sonnier-Sudduth, Kelsey Stanford, Aymelia Stevenson, Katelyn Stevenson and Aaliyah Young.

WorkKeys

Students who scored a silver, gold or platinum level on the WorkKeys assessment are Calvin Bailey, Shakyus Brewer, Brianna Burrage, Roslyn Butler, Jonena Cane, Jonathan Conner, Antjuann Davis, Donnie Getz, Mylor Hammond, Joshua Helton, Jerry Hill, Layla Johnson, Alandria Jones, Paulina Leyva, Jada Mason, Dixie Mullen, Larry Pierson, Mary Redman, Jordan Rowan, Makayla Shepherd, Aymelia Stevenson, Aaliyah Young, Ahshref Abdulla, Samya Brooks, Sarah Clark, Shalyla Fletcher, Makalynn Martin, Saterra Nicholson, Kenya Peoples, Kylen Savors, Sarah Sonnier-Sudduth, Kelsey Stanford, Katelyn Stevenson, Honor Brown, Jalaya Evans, Mason Gerberg, Frederica Hargrove, Destiny Jones, Gabriel Phillips, Robert Provencher and Abby Romig.

High Five Awards

The High Five Awards are presented to students who have embraced the school’s high-five qualities: Be kind. Be safe. Be punctual. Be responsible. Be respectful. The 2019-20 freshmen winners are Kaylee Bauer and Kevon Scales. The sophomore winners are Rob Pierson and Jordan Rowan.

Wildcat Award

Freshman — Ethan Stone

Sophomore — Hannah Self

Spirit of GTECHS

Faith Franklin and Mary Redman

Perfect Attendance

Students in the 2019-20 school year with perfect attendance prior to the shift to remote learning are Shalarria Crook, Todd Ellis, Lydia Frisby, McKari Hall, Alycia Harris, Shakayla Hughes, Alayna Ivy, Trinity Robertson, Kamri Robinson, Samya Brooks, Sarah Clark, Fredericka Hargrove, Ben Horn, Paulina Leyva, Rob Pierson, Abby Romig, Makayla Shepherd, Katelyn Stevenson and Aaliya Young.

2020-21 SCHOOL YEAR AWARDS

Math Awards

Geometry – Ethan Stone

Algebra II – Kaland Mobley, Kevon Scales, Smith Wooten

English Awards

10th Grade – Macie Enas, Jada Ivy

11th Grade – Calvin Bailey

Science Awards

Anatomy and Physiology –  Smith Wooten

Chemistry – Kevon Scales

ACT Prep

Lillian Dejean

Abigail Petty

History Award

U.S. History – Lillian Dejean

PRIDE Awards

The PRIDE Awards is given to sophomores who have earned at least 12 hours of transferrable credit. The 2020-21 winners are Draco Andol, Kaylee Bauer, Gracie Belyeu, Ethan Charles Box, Dedrick Bryant, Victoria Cooper, Giavanna Criscione, Shalarria Crook, Lillian Dejean, Christian Depew, Sean Driskill, Katherine Dunstan, Todd Ellis, Macie Enas, Michael Evans, Nakerricka Ewing, Faith Franklin, Lydia Frisby, Rebecca Fulgham, Paola Garcia, Noah Garrett, McKari Hall, Alycia Harris, Madison Harris, Zhaquerriah Harris, Aziya Hill, Shakayla Hughes, Alayna Ivy, Jada Ivy, Taylor Johnson, Antie Rose Macon, Micah Ming, Mahogany Perry, Abigail Petty, Chloe Richardson, Ian Robertson, Trinity Robertson, Kamri Robinson, Kevon Scales, Leah Shaw, Eboni Sherrod, Ethan Douglas Stone, John Tomkins, Charlie Williams, Andrew Woody and Smith Wooten.

WorkKeys

Students who scored a silver, gold or platinum level on the WorkKeys assessment are Draco Andol, Victoria Cooper, Katherine Dunstan, Nakerrica Ewing, Lydia Frisby, Noah Garrett, Aniyah Henley, Aniyah Hudnall, Shakayla Hughes, Micah Ming, Mahogany Perry, Ian Robertson, Ethan Stone, Kaylee Bauer, Gracie Belyeu, Ethan Charles Box, Shalarria Crook, Lillian Dejean, Sean Driskill, Faith Franklin, Rebecca Fulgham, Paola Garcia, Madison Harris, Alayna Ivy, Chole Richardson, Trinity Robertson, Kamri Robinson, Kevon Scales, Leah Shaw, John Tomkins, Charlie Williams, Andrew Woody, Smith Wooten, Christian Depew, Todd Ellis, Macie Enas, McKari Hall, Jada Ivy, Taylor Johnson, Antie Rose Macon, Abigail Petty and Conner Price.

National Honor Society

National Honor Society is a prestigious club honoring the high achievement in scholarship, service, leadership and character of high school juniors and seniors across the country. Members of the GTECHS chapter are Kylen Savors, Jalaya Evans and Mary Redman.

Mu Alpha Theta

Mu Alpha Theta is the national high school and two-year-college mathematics honor society. Members are Ashref Abdulla, Mylor Hammond, Kayla Jones, Abby Romig, Katelyn Stevenson, Frederica Hargrove, Aymelia Stevenson, Jalaya Evans, Honor Brown, Samya Brooks, Saterra Nicholson, Sarah Sonnier-Sudduth, Rob Pierson, Makalynn Martin, Kylen Savors, Roslyn Butler, Layla Johnson, Mary Redman, Brianna Burrage, Gabriel Phillips, Aaliyah Young, Makayla Shepherd, Paulina Leyva, Jada Mason, Sarah Clark, Alayna Ivy, Kamri Robinson, Lillian Dejean, Gracie Belyeu, Taylor Johnson, Kevon Scales, McKari Hall, Rebecca Fulgham, Kaylee Bauer, Macie Enas, Jada Ivy, Victoria Cooper, Trinity Robertson, Madison Harris, Abigail Petty, Faith Franklin, Grady Wooten and Shalarria Crook.

Burnell McDonald High Five Award

The Burnell McDonald High Five Awards are presented to students who have embraced the school’s high-five qualities: Be kind. Be safe. Be punctual. Be responsible. Be respectful. The 2020-21 10^th grade recipients are Chloe Richardson and John Tompkins. The 11^th grade winners are Sarah Sonnier-Sudduth and Zion Harris.

Hazel Johnson Wildcat Award

10^th Grade — Ethan Stone

11^th Grade — Kaland Mobley

Dr. Paul Miller ROAR Award

10^th Grade — Smith Wooten

11^th Grade — Rob Pierson

Bo Diermann Spirit of GTECHS Award

10^th Grade — Kevon Scales

11^th Grade — Mary Redman