AEF holds Eddy Awards for academic stars

By Lee Ellen Benjamin
news@casscountysun.com

For the sixth year, the Atlanta Independent School District Education Foundation (AEF) recognized the academic top 10 percent of the Atlanta High School (AHS) senior class with a sparkling gala. “The Eddy Awards: A night with the Academic Stars” was held at the Atlanta Middle School Cafeteria on Saturday.
The announcer for the evening was Rex Henderson, who ceremoniously revealed the honored guests and their parents as they walked the red carpet. An educator of the student’s choosing joined each honoree as they were escorted to tables adorned with silver stars and white hydrangeas in colossal sparkling vases.
The room was decorated with gold trophies and glittering table dressings. Big Jake’s Bar-B-Que catered the affair and well-trained members of the AHS Class of 2017 acted as servers for the evening.
A slide show was presented during the dinner. Each of the Eddy winners was spotlighted, which included baby pictures as well as candid shots from their school years.
President of the foundation Kelly Joslin greeted the crowd and explained, “One of the highlights of our work at the foundation is to honor the best of the best at this event each year.”
The focal point of the Eddy Awards is the presentation of the educators who have influenced the academic careers of these budding intellectuals. There were several poignant moments when the mentors explained what a pleasure it had been to work with these bright and hard-working scholars.
With immense gratitude, the pupils explained the reasons they chose the dedicated educators who helped them reach this point in their academic careers.
Some picked teachers, others coaches, one picked the parent of a friend, but one of the most touching was Charlotte Snow, who teaches at Atlanta Middle School. She was chosen by Jessica Barnett, who had lost her mother in a car accident last year.
Barnett thanked Snow for her support and for “telling the truth, no matter how hard it was to hear.” The crowd was moved by both of their speeches, but especially so when Snow said, “We know there is one person missing from your table tonight, but through all of your difficulties, you have handled it with grace.” Barnett will graduate seventh in the class.
Overcoming adversity was a theme throughout this graduating class.
Second grade teacher Kristie Alexander said of Lexie Wood, “Though she faced tough times, she never failed to lend a hand to someone in need.” Tough times indeed, when Wood was in the second grade the family “lost everything” when their home burned.
Wood thanked her teacher for being “so comforting and helping me get through that terrible time. I hope I can be that inspiring to my students.” Wood will be majoring in education at East Texas Baptist University.
Now retired, Susan Greig began with an attempt to hold back tears as she spoke of her excellent student Madison Head. “She is such as good kid,” she exclaimed, “She is going to be fabulous! She already is!”
Madison Head, who plans to major in journalism at the University of North Texas, due to all she learned from Mrs. Greig, said “I hope one day to be able to make a difference in my student’s lives, like Mrs. Greig has made in mine.”
Of course, there was humor, too. Chemistry teacher Kim Charleston announced that her speech would be, “Short and sweet. Just like me.”
Junior Class members Star Davis, Sarah Fincher and Savannah Riddell serenaded the crowd with the Carrie Underwood hit, “Don’t Forget to Remember Me.”
Honoring the outstanding students at AISD has been the goal of the foundation and each event has been a bigger and better success. Thanks to the 20 sponsors of this event and the many generous donors throughout the year, the AEF awards each student and their mentor a gold trophy, which resembles an Oscar, and gives each student a $200 scholarship.
Dr. Lanny Giesler, a member of the board of directors, concluded the evening with a note to the graduates, “The world is going to tell you to better yourself, but your gifts are given to you so you may serve others. Don’t just work for yourself and your talents will take you far.”