$24+ million from roughly 470: HVA grads
This year’s HVA graduating students earned more than $24 million in scholarships, assistant principal Nicole Slayton announced.
She added more than 450 students qualified for the Tennessee Promise scholarship, and more than 350 HVA graduating seniors qualified for the Hope Scholarship.
“As a senior class, we are here to sit before you and thank you for the love, support and encouragement and help that has brought us to this place of accomplishment,” said Vanshika Patel, senior class president.
Hawk Award
The highlight of the evening was the Hawk Award presentation to Brock Connatser, a Distinction Graduate, honors candidate and member of the National Honor Society who also received the Seal of Biliteracy.
Principal Kirk Renegar said the Hawk Award is the school’s highest honor voted on by the HVA faculty.
“It is bestowed upon a graduating senior whose performance exemplifies and defines qualities of HVA,” Renegar said. “The Hawk Award is annually presented to a student who exhibits the highest standards: dependability, responsibility, citizenship, cheerfulness and moral character.
“The recipient of this award has scored high in academics,” he added. “It is truly a great honor to be nominated for this award.
Reading the graduate’s nomination letter, “Brock has exemplified what it takes to be hard-working and present in class and extra-curricular activities since his freshman year,” the principal said. “He is resolved to be 100 percent, is impressive and humble.
“Brock is an outstanding student athlete,” Renegar added. “He has taken multiple AP and dual enrollment classes in math, science and humanities while earning the Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish and is recognized as an AP Scholar, as well as being inducted into the Mu Alpha Theta and National Honor Society.
“He is a four-time wrestling team captain; two-time state placer; (a) sectional champion, ... which he has done twice; and four-time state qualifier. He is a three-time outstanding wrestler and a two-time wrestling Hawk Award winner.
“In the community, he has been involved in Leadership Game Changers, promoting inclusion and morals in athletics,” Renegar said.
The graduate also was involved in the Four H and Rotary Interact Club the last four years, in which he has been actively involved in many community engagements and volunteer efforts, such as Second Harvest Food Bank, Knoxville Area Rescue Missions, Angel Tree gift sorting and Vacation Bible School
Connatser was one of five nominated for the award. Also in the running were Bella Buccola, Ryan Moon, Neels Schoonbee and Kendra West.
Other speakers
Rahma Iyad Al-Qasir, representing the Academy of Science, Math, Engineering and Technology, spoke on “Our Final Five Minutes” while Macy Clara McInturff, also from STEM, spoke on “The Power of Change.” Hitarth Mayur Barot, yet another from STEM, spoke on “Everything Starts from Here.”
