One of Southwest Ohio’s largest high schools honored its top academic stars Monday during an annual ceremony that is now a decade old.
The top 16 academic performers among Fairfield High School’s 836 graduating seniors were showcased during a public event Monday that included a few comments by a teacher of each senior and more than a few tears.
“We are so very proud of you,” Fairfield Schools Superintendent Billy Smith told the graduates and their families who packed the Community Room at the high school. “These students being recognized here today are the top of the top.”
“They served as outstanding role models for their peers and that is very important in a building that serves over 2,000 students. Thank you for your leadership and your willingness to serve as role models, I can’t tell you how much that is appreciated,” Smith told the audience.
The 16 seniors, who graduate with their class Sunday, will be spreading throughout the nation as they attend universities and colleges — including Virginia Tech, Purdue, Alabama, University of South Carolina and Duke — on full-ride scholarships.
Fairfield High School enrolls more than 2,300 students.
Last year graduating seniors from the Butler County school earned more than $10.3 million in scholarship offers.
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Jeremy Zambo will be staying closing to home as he studies mathematics at Miami University. He said he appreciated the ceremony, which spread in popularity among American high schools more than a decade ago as an academic version of the type where prep athletic stars signed their sports scholarship offers from various colleges.
“It’s nice seeing my former teachers … and it’s a nice closure to my career as a Fairfield student and a nice remembrance of where I came from and all the memories I’ve had here,” said Zambo.
Katie Pospisil, secondary curriculum coordinator for Fairfield Schools, said the annual ceremony “is a showcase of our amazing students and their dedication to their academic studies.”
“And it’s fantastic for the families, the hard work of their children and the hard they have put in … it’s truly a family dedication,” said Pospisil.
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