By CHRISTOPHER KING
Moapa Valley Progress
W. Mack Lyon Middle School celebrated the advancement of its eighth grade students to high school during a ceremony held Wednesday, May 16, in the school gym. The evening began with the students walking two by two as the audience rose to their feet in a sign of respect.
Principal Kenneth Paul welcomed attendees with a brief introduction, thanking the students for their hard work and the parents for the support given to their children.
“There is always someone behind you ready to fill the void you left as you advance,” Paul reminded the advancing students.
Lyon teacher, Jeanna Mortensen presented the Student Council Awards. She presented to the four 8th grade representatives as well as the student body officers.
School librarian Kaye Eddie, then presented five awards to the National Junior Honor Society chapter charters.
Local veteran Dennis Vance then took the stand to present the American Legion Award when went to Macie Frei and Hakan Oropeza.
Local rotarian Scott Adams presented the Rotary Club’s Outstanding Character Award. “Character is the foundation of everything, of whether you will be a good person or not,” Adams told the students. The award went to Emma Humes.
School counselor Amy May presented the McDonalds Citizenship Award to Emily Matheson.
May stayed at the podium to recognize students who had earned the Presidential Award. This award was broken down into two tiers: gold and silver. The requirements for the silver were for the students to gain a cumulative grade point average of 3.5-3.79. The required grade point average for the gold was 3.8-4.0.
There were 19 students that received the silver award, and an amazing 23 students who earned gold!
Exemplary Attendance awards went to students who had missed less than 3 days all year. These awards were presented by vice principal Aimee Lewis. Six students received the award.
Lewis then announced the “Straight A’s” awards, which recognized students who earned straight A’s all three years of middle school. An outstanding 9 students received that award.
The next awards that were presented were the Exemplary awards. Eddie presented the reading award to William Walker, who earned 983 Accelerated Reader points this year. The math award was given to Tanner Western. The award for Excellence in Academics went to Maria Perez and Scott Hardy. The Citizenship awards went to Whitney Waite and Jeremiah Mortensen. The writing award went to Gracie Leavitt. Leadership awards went to Brianna Reyes and Tanner Western. Effort Awards were given to Marcos Monjaras and Nannabah Tom. The Award for Excellence in History was given to Jarett Jackman. Sarah Wickersham took home the Excellence in Fine Arts award. The Citizenship awards went to Emma Canfield and Jayme Carvajal. The Technology award went to Isaac Cook and Romeo Elenes. And the Science award went to Brissa Reyes.
The Mustang award, given to a student who demonstrates school spirit and leads by example, was given to Colby Conk and Chyler Cooper.
The final award given for the night was the 21st Century Scholar Award, which was presented to Tanner Western and Rebecca Marshall.
The ceremony concluded with a slideshow of the eight graders growing from little toddlers into the young men and women they are today. The students walked to the back of the gym where the received bags with the Moapa Valley High School logo on them as a way for Mack Lyon Middle School to say: ‘Good bye and good luck on the rest of your scholastic journeys!’
