May 28, 2015 by Danielle Morrone and Jessica Morrone
On May 20, Saratoga Springs High School held its annual award ceremony, as well as a large display of art and music.
The art show showcased works of Saratoga’s young artists, with pieces from the Painting, Ceramics, and Foundations in Art classes. These works lined the D-wing hallway, stretching in front of the cafeteria, down the main corridor of the school, and into the lobby. In addition, during the art show that concluded at the start of the ceremony, Saratoga’s students involved in band and orchestra gathered outside of the library to play their tunes for those attending the events of the evening.
The award ceremony itself began at 7 o’clock. The first to receive their awards were those who had been granted scholarships, all of whom were seated on stage. Some of these grants were from schools while others were from members of Saratoga’s community in honor of certain causes or people close to their hearts.
Perrin Jones, a junior at SSHS, was a recipient of the RIT Computing Medal. He said of his award; “It was kind of a hectic night. We got a sketchy letter in the mail saying that I will be awarded for all my hard work, and that was it. No information on what the actual award was. Nonetheless, it was a great night, filled with an array of inspiring stories from teachers, past high school students, and scholarship organizations. It was a surprise when I won the RIT Computing Medal- a $28,000 scholarship! I didn’t know how much was at stake when I applied, but these junior scholarships are a wonderful opportunity to start raising money for college.”
One of the previous high school students referred to by Jones is former SSHS alumni David Hyde Pierce. Pierce has been featured in many popular American entertainment movies and TV shows, including Pixar’s “A Bug’s Life” and NBC’s sitcom “Frasier.” Although Pierce was unable to attend the ceremony in person, he sent a video to be displayed to the attendants.
After the scholarships were presented, seniors were given their own individual awards, such as accolades for exemplary attendance. The evening closed with department awards granted to certain students for their outstanding performance in Art, Business, English, Science, Math, Social Studies, and Language.
One grandmother in attendance, Teddy Beaver, later talked about the event, saying, “I truly enjoyed the art and music. The ceremony went quickly and I was impressed with how organized the event was on behalf of the administration and the students. I look forward to attending this event next year.”
The SSHS art show and award ceremony gave the school’s students a chance to revel in their hard work and dedication, as well as a chance to receive rewards for it. Next year will bring a new set of recipients, as well as new pieces of art, each with their own stories.
Editor’s note: this article was updated at 9:30 p.m. with style corrections.