180 students representing 63 counties across NC were recognized at this weekend's Online Recognition Ceremony. The rainbow of regalia represents the students' 118 home high schools.
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NCSSM celebrated the 180 students completing NCSSM Online in the Class of 2018 in the 9th Online Program Recognition Ceremony, held on NCSSM’s Durham campus on Saturday, June 2. These talented, motivated students from throughout the state of North Carolina chose to complete online courses in advanced STEM and liberal arts subjects over the last two years, while also completing their regular curriculum at their home high schools.
This year’s class of graduating seniors hail from 63 counties across the state of North Carolina, as evidenced by the colorful regalia, representing the students’ 118 home high schools, worn during the ceremony. The majority of students received honors certificates of completion or concentrations in academic topics ranging from Applied STEM and Computational Science to Liberal Studies and Global Studies.
The auditorium was nearly filled with both the recognized students as well as friends and family to watch the ceremony. Remarks were given by NCSSM Chancellor Todd Roberts, as well as student speakers Montia Daniels (Wakefield High School, Wake County) and Claire Patrick (South Davidson High School, Davidson County), who were selected to address their peers.
The winner’s of this year’s Golden Catalyst Awards were also recognized during the ceremony. Winners are selected each year on the basis of their exceptional personal academic growth and performance, significant contributions to the NCSSM community, and outstanding use of NCSSM’s programs to lead in the local and state community.
This year’s winners were:
- Brenna Copeland, Eugene Ashley High School, New Hanover County
- Paiton Olivia McDonald, West Henderson High School, Henderson County
- Dana Maloy, North Brunswick High School, Brunswick County
- Sam Thornton, North Mecklenburg High School, Mecklenburg County
The second-ever Panoff Award for Excellence in Computational Science was also presented during the ceremony. This award recognizes one student for their contribution and future potential in the field of computational sciences. This year’s award winner was Jeremy Jump from Cedar Ridge High School, Orange County.
View all student names in the event program
The Class of 2018 was the ninth class to complete NCSSM Online. The first cohort of students entered the program in 2008, graduating from the two-year program in 2010. Read more about NCSSM Online.