Asjah Bell, Columbus High School senior, signed her letter of intent to Alabama State University on Wednesday at the first CHS academic signing day.
Bell will pursue her academic career in business administration. She intends to use her degree after college to open up a recreational center for young kids to attend after school.
On Wednesday, 14 CHS seniors participated in the ceremony and publicly declared their future collegiate destinations in front of the entire CHS student body. Parents, faculty, current and former CHS students piled into the school gymnasium to celebrate and support the seniors and their academic decisions.
“This is for everyone to know that anyone from Columbus can go to college,” Bell said. “… My four years of high school have paid off. It made me feel like a role model, so everyone can see that if I did, so can you.”
CHS Principal Lori Cargile saw a similar school presentation online and formed a team of teachers to celebrate graduating class of 2018. The idea of hosting a ceremony was brought to the teacher-student celebration team in April. The teachers who organized the event felt that celebrating academia similar to how schools celebrate athletics was important for students pursuing higher education.
Adrienne Graham, a CHS algebra teacher, helped organize the academic signing day. Since the planning started so late in the school year, many of the seniors who are attending college did not make it to Wednesday’s ceremony because seniors were dismissed after their classes concluded earlier this month.
Still, Graham felt it was important to honor the seniors who could make it to the ceremony, and she hopes the event will become bigger and better each year.
“This is one way for our seniors to be highlighted by the whole school,” Graham said. “… The whole committee is already planning for next year.”
Other than recognizing the seniors and their academic achievements, the program was designed to inspire younger students to work hard academically to pursue their collegiate dreams.
Graham said she heard juniors, sophomores and freshmen attending begin discussing where they wanted to go to college after seeing the seniors present their college decisions.
Cargile congratulated the 14 seniors who participated by acknowledging their academic success and leadership throughout their years at CHS.
“We are very proud to call each and every one of them a Falcon,” Cargile said.
Michael Bailey, CHS valedictorian of 2016, was the guest speaker for the participating seniors. Bailey, who is studying political science at Mississippi State University, gave the senior class advice before entering their collegiate academic careers: Attend class, ask for help, engage with faculty and professors and call home whenever they can.
Each student then walked toward the CHS decorated table, signed their name on a certificate recognizing their commitment to education and declared in front of the crowd the college of their choice. After each student announced the college they will be attending, the gymnasium erupted in applause.
Senior Alex Davis signed with Mississippi State University to study music education.
“Usually, for us, we have athletic signings,” Davis said. “This was different and was a great experience that needs to be continued.”
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