On Thursday, May 30th, the Deering High School auditorium was filled with staff, family, and friends for the annual Senior Awards Night. It was a night dedicated to celebrating the incredible accomplishments of the graduating Class of 2024.

The ceremony kicked off with a prestigious honor. Senator Jill Duson of Maine presented the Maine Legislature Certificate of Achievement to our outstanding valedictorian, Emma Murphy, and salutatorian, Tim Callaghan. Dr. Jake Giessman, Principal, Ms. Halima Noor, Assistant Principal, and Ms. Heather Sawyer, Science Teacher and Event Coordinator, then welcomed a long list of distinguished guests throughout the evening. These included award and scholarship presenters, Deering staff members, and of course, the stars of the show - our graduating seniors.

For three hours, the stage became a platform to recognize exceptional achievement. Scholarships, awards, medals, and gifts were presented, showering our seniors with well-deserved recognition. Departmental Cluster Coordinators, Ms. Serway, Mr. Chard, Ms. Romanso, Ms. Balanda, Ms. Labbe, Ms. Hutchins, Mr. Davenport, Ms. Bean, and Mr. Hutchins, proudly awarded outstanding achievement awards in their respective departments.

The night wasn't just about academics. Athletic Director, Mr. Daly, presented over half a dozen awards and scholarships to our talented student athletes. Additionally, awards were given out to members of various co-curricular clubs like Prism, the Muslim Student Association, and Key Club. Recognitions were also extended to students with STEM endorsements and those receiving generous scholarships from kind donors across the country.

As the ceremony neared its conclusion, the highly anticipated moment arrived: the announcement of Deering's Top 10 students in academia. These remarkable students, Emma Murphy, Tim Callaghan, Daniel Landry, Evelyn Kenney, Petra Lo-Sears, Matthew Okulski, Simon Stratton, Zoe Plizga, Rachel Ewing-Merrill, and Shay Rosenthal, received a thunderous round of applause for their exceptional academic achievements.