On the morning of September 13, the normal monotony of the school day was interrupted with an assembly honoring the achievement of students during the 2011-2012 school year. After performances by the band and choir, Principal Tracy Shaver began the ceremony by highlighting the various accomplishments of the school during this time. These accomplishments included that over 25% of students were on the honor roll for every quarter, the most AP exams were taken in HHS history, and HHS was named one of the best schools in the nation by the U.S. News and World Report. However, the accomplishments weren’t all academic.

“The goal [of the assembly] is to recognize excellence in different ways…in different parts of our school,” said Attendance Officer Jay Supko. The school’s music programs received the Blue Ribbon award for music education, and the school received the VHSL Wells Fargo Cup.

Supko’s part in the proceedings involved honoring students who had had perfect attendance the previous year. As Shaver’s goal for this year is to have a 95% daily attendance rate, this was more important than ever.

Students were also recognized for being on the A or A/B honor roll for the fourth quarter of last year, being a renaissance student, and getting a perfect score on one or more SOL’s. Academic letters were introduced for the first time- students with a GPA of 3.5 or higher were eligible for a letter.

The ceremony concluded with the naming of the Most Valuable Blue Streak from the senior class, as chosen by his or her classmates and teachers. Alex Hunter-Nichols received this award and was met with a standing ovation. Robby Ross and Katrina Sokulyuk were runners up.

Throughout the assembly, there was an emphasis on looking toward the future. Despite the school’s achievement, Shaver hopes to have more student involvement in extracurriculars, an increase in students passing SOL tests, and more students take Honors, AP, and Dual-Enrollment classes.