Calera High School held their very first annual Golden Eagle Banquet on March 24 at the City of Calera Community Center.  The event was held to recognize the school’s valedictorian; Raven Edwards, salutatorian; Sloane Picket, honor graduates; Chloe Childress, Mary Embry, Aidan Ryan, Braxton Stokes, Thuy Nguyen, and Lane Johnson, and outstanding graduates; Caitlin Jones, Aleha Crumpton, Annalee Baker, Isabella Powell, Zack Goodwin, Madison Brown, Morgan Brown, and Esmerelda Gallegos.  The valedictorian, salutatorian, honor graduates and outstanding graduates were presented with medals that they will wear on graduation night.

Each honor graduate, along with the valedictorian and salutatorian, were told to choose one teacher that represents excellence in education, dedication to their profession, and a personal investment in students’ lives over the course of their entire educational journey to receive the “Golden Eagle” Award.  The award was made to honor those teachers who had gone the extra mile in making a true and genuine impression on their students.  Sorting through the many remarkable educators, the students had a tough decision to make.  The teachers that the students selected were invited to the banquet for dinner, and the students presented a speech in their honor along with presenting them their award.

Raven Edwards chose her ninth grade Geometry teacher Laurie Kapuya to receive the Golden Eagle award.  Tears were flowing not just from Mrs. Kapuya but also from Raven as she delivered her speech full of Mrs. Kapuya’s heart and dedication to making sure her students understood Geometry.  Raven said that Mrs. Kapuya created a classroom environment that fostered high expectation while providing students the tools to reach them.

Sloane Pickett,  a new student at Calera High School this year, chose a teacher from her previous school at Kingwood.  The teacher she chose was her Biology teacher, Angela Edwards.  Sloane said that every time someone asked her who her favorite teacher is, she instantly says Mrs. Edwards because she taught Biology in a way that made her understand and provided labs that really helped her students understand the material she had presented them.

Chloe Childress chose her yearbook staff sponsor Mrs. Dawn Bone to receive the award.  Chloe talked about how caring Mrs. Bone was and how she was the “glue” to Calera High School.  She also shared many funny memories the two had made over the past four years during Mrs. Bone’s BTA class, the dance team, and yearbook staff together.

Mary Embry chose her AP Environmental Science teacher, Mark Drackett to present her speech and award.  Mary had many things to say about Mr. Drackett.  She talked about how much he loves to tell jokes in class, how he helped her develop study skills to last her a lifetime, and how she always felt comfortable because Mr. Drackett knew about her from having her older brother in class years before.

Aidan Ryan presented a Golden Eagle to Ted Seabury, her band director for four years.  Aidan said that Mr. Seabury helped her handle the tough transition into high school and provided her with advice that influenced her and ignited the passion she has for music.  She spoke about how she could always trust him and how he always encouraged her through her achievements.

Mrs. Dorothy Moore received a Golden Eagle from Braxton Stokes.  Braxton shared how the person people at the school know now as a senior (SGA president and starting center for the varsity football team) has not always been the same person.  In middle school, he shared that he was a timid boy wearing glasses who choose to sit in the back of his GRC class.  Braxton shared that Mrs. Moore challenged him mentally and pushed him to better himself.  He shared that taking part in class discussions in her class and working on group projects helped him break out of his shell and to make friendships which allowed him to be a leader in high school.

Thuy Nguyen presented a Golden Eagle to Gay Niven, her Peer Helpers sponsor.  Thuy said that Mrs. Niven always believed in her and encouraged her, even though English was not Thuy’s first language.  Thuy shared that Mr. Niven inspired her to be more outgoing and helped her gain courage to be herself.  Thuy also mentioned that Mrs. Niven led group discussions for the students to break social barriers and create diverse friendships.

Lane Johnson chose Chuck Waid, his ninth grade English teacher.  Lane shared that Coach Waid pushed him to develop a love for reading and to never judge a book by it’s cover.  He shared that the books he read in ninth grade became some of his favorite books that he has ever read.  Lane also mentioned how he made a 33 in the reading portion on the ACT and attributed that to Mr. Waid.

“The Golden Eagle banquet was a great way to begin the last quarter of high school for our remarkable teachers and students,” said Principal Joel Dixon.