Dexter Seniors Honored at Awards Night Ceremony

Although seniors finished school in late May, many returned to the high school Thursday evening to take part in the awards ceremony for the Class of 2011.

Roughly 200 students of the 288 in the graduating class were award recipients, and those awards included recognition for accomplishments in academics and athletics.

Senior Austin Clark received a scholarship from in Dexter along with a Dexter Alumni Association Scholarship and excellence in art recognition.

"I've been attending St. Andrew's since I was little and have seen other people get their scholarships," Clark said. "This was my year to apply, and I put a lot of effort into it."

The awards process began in March, when the high school's guidance department passed out information on the many scholarships offered for Dexter students. Teachers provided lists of students who participated in groups like the National Honor Society, and also nominated students from various departments, including math, science, art, technology and world languages.

"As we get closer to handing out the awards, I start hearing from universities about who qualifies for different types of scholarships," Gina Star, a DHS guidance counselor said. "We want to acknowledge those awards and match up financial scholarships."

Star coordinates the awards process with students, universities and local groups like the Dexter Lions Club, Dexter Rotary Club, Dexter Kiwanis Club, and American Legion Post 557.

Serena Bidwell, who graduated Summa Cum Laude, received a scholarship from the Dexter Kiwanis Club along with a Dexter Education Association Scholarship and recognition for excellence in French.

"For all of the four years of high school to come together and get this recognition is a big honor," Bidwell said.

Classmate Ryan Sikorski received an award for academic achievement and the Hope College Distinguished Scholarship. His parents, David and Robin Sikorski, said that his experience at DHS has been a positive one.

"Ryan has grown from being an uncertain freshman to a very assured senior," Robin Sikorski said.

The students' final GPAs were posted on June 1, and that's when Star began working on academic achievement acknowledgements including those for Summa Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude and Cum Laude graduates. Thursday evening's ceremony included those presentations as well as national merit finalists, which are based on junior PSAT scores.  

Forty presenters—including representatives from the military who gave twin brothers Brandon and Justin Hart full four-year Army ROTC scholarships—attended the ceremony. The U.S. Marines presented both the Distinguished Athlete Award and the Scholastic Excellence Award. WXYZ-TV presented its "Brightest and Best" honors to students who maintained a 4.0 GPA for all eight semesters of school.

In addition to the student awards, students were invited to nominate the teachers they considered most influential in their education. Thirteen students honored eight teachers.

Clark wrote a speech about his teacher nominee, Karen Walls.

"Ms. Walls chose to help me pay attention better in all my classes and to stay up on all my grades," he said. "She's been a generous teacher who has also helped me with personal problems."

For a complete list of all awards and recipients, visit web.dexterschools.org, select Dexter High School and click on the "DHS Updates" link.