Flanked by a cotton candy colored sky lit by the setting sun, Paris High Schoolâs Class of 2021 prepared themselves for the final step in their high school career â receiving their diplomas.
One hundred and sixty nine students in cap and gown took to the field at Wildcat Stadium on Friday, where Superintendent Paul Jones accepted Principal Chris Vaughnâs certification of the Class of 2021 before a large, cheering crowd of friends and family members.
Class salutatorian Lauren Avery welcomed her fellow classmates, recognizing the occasion as the moment their hard work in school had paid off. Avery joined the Paris High School Class of 2021 as a freshman in high school, after moving to Paris, and she expressed her appreciation for sharing the high school experience with her classmates.
It would be hard to guess that Allyssa Standifer is a senior in high school. The Paris High student, who just won third place in a statewide competition for a scholarship from the Veterans of Foreign Wars, speaks with eloquence, confidence and grace, and she is headed to University of Texas-Austin come graduation with hopes to become a journalist. Not to mention that the National Honors Society, Spanish Honors Society, Future Problem Solving student and varsity tennis player was recently accepted to the venerated Columbia University, too.
Last weekend, Allyssa sat behind a computer screen as she watched her name announced at a VFW conference in Corpus Christi. A $7,000 scholarship is now headed her way thanks to an essay she wrote for a school assignment.