On Tuesday, April 29 Lee Academy buzzed with excitement and pride as students, faculty, and families gathered for the 2025 elementary honors day program. The event, sponsored by the school’s “top achievers,” celebrated students’ hard work, dedication, and talents across various disciplines.
The morning commenced with a respectful prayer and pledge, followed by a warm welcome acknowledging the school’s and faculty’s collective effort in making the day possible.
The first to be recognized were the youngest learners – Cubs, preschool, and kindergarten students – who were invited to the stage to receive individualized certificates acknowledging their character, hard work, and developing educational skills. The audience respectfully held their applause until all the young honorees were named.
A significant portion of the program was dedicated to celebrating the artistic talents of the students. Local art contest winners from preschool and kindergarten were announced, highlighting the creative prowess of Mayven Walker, Trinity Baker, Asher Webb, Karter McKisick, Doss Gibson, and Huxley Glass from preschool, and McKinlee Brock, Rayley Fisher, Collin Russell, Ava Ly, Violet O’Neal, and Campbell Fisher from kindergarten.
The accolades continued with the announcement of district art winners, mirroring the local winners for preschool and kindergarten, showcasing the consistent talent within these young grades. The program reached a crescendo in the art awards with the announcement of state art winners: Huxley Glass from preschool and Rayley Fisher and Violet O’Neal from kindergarten.
The program then shifted its focus to academic achievements, beginning with the “top achievers” – students in grades 3–6 who earned straight A’s for the first semester and third nine weeks. These exceptional students included Milner Higginbothom, Knox Long, Merritt Higginbothom, Katherine Reed, Palmer Higginbothom, Ruthie Higginbothom, Dawson Long, Ellie Higgins, Finley Mansel, and Austin Reed.
Following this, the “super scholars” were recognized for their outstanding academic performance, earning all A’s and B’s for the same academic period. This impressive group included Livie Fletcher, Steele Hinkle-Ervin, Abby Jones, Isaiah Price, Cohner Reeves, Hadley Tefteller, Tyler Cole, Emma Higgins, Allie Howton, Stone Kennedy, Drake Livingston, Staxx Long, Norah Rockett, Harper Lake, Aubree Webb, Carder Fisher, Fisher Lappin, Knox Reeves, and Janco van den Heever.
Students who demonstrated exceptional commitment through perfect attendance during the first three nine-week periods were also applauded. These dedicated individuals were Livie Fletcher, Carter Williams, Baylor Padilla, Palmer Higginbothom, Auston Howton, Walker Higgins, Zelda Gillespie, and Ruthie Higginbothom.
The celebration of academic achievement continued with the recognition of students who met their accelerated reader (AR) goals for the first, second, and third nine-week periods. A lengthy list of enthusiastic readers was acknowledged.
The AR top readers from each grade were then announced, highlighting students who earned the most AR points in their respective classes: Walker Higgins (1st grade – 48.7 points), Ruston McCorkle (2nd grade – 93.3 points), Austin Reed (3rd grade – 65.7 points), Aubree Webb (4th grade – 60.7 points), Katherine Reed (5th grade – an astounding 465.5 points), and Isaiah Price (6th grade – 98.6 points). A special acknowledgment was given to Katherine Reed for earning the highest overall AR points.
The local art winners from each class were also celebrated for their creative talents. Representing the first grade were: Rylan Andrews, Carter McMahan, Waylon Slane, James Henry Jones, Farris Mathis, and Ledger Smith. Second grade honorees included Amalia DuPlessis, Nolan Burress, Ella Grace Peyton, Ruston McCorkle, Areej Alrahimi, and Maddox Ball. From the third grade, the winners were Knox Reeves, Austin Reed, Carder Fisher, Fisher Lappin, Auston Howton, and Chloe Northcutt. Fourth grade artists recognized were Ruthie Higginbothom, Jessica Lappin, KJ Jones, Joshy Jones, Harper Northcutt, and Palmer Higginbothom. The fifth grade local art winners were Tyler Cole, Emma Higgins, Norah Rockett, Maddox Collins, Stone Kennedy, and Katherine Reed. Finally, representing the sixth grade were Livie Fletcher, Hadley Tefteller, Milner Higginbothom, Isaiah Price, Conner Reeves, and Knox Long.
District art winners were also announced, recognizing students whose artistic talents stood out at a broader level. The excitement continued with the announcement of state art winners: Carter McMahan, Maddox Ball, and Hadley Tefteller, marking a significant achievement for these young artists.
The reading fair participants and winners were also celebrated with the following individuals placing first or second in their respective grades at the local level and advancing to the district competition: representing the first grade were James Henry Jones, Owen Carter, Farris Mathis, Carter McMahan, Wells Higgins, and Walker Higgins; second-grade honorees included Channing Coleman, Ella Peyton, Ruston McCorkle, Parker Stegall, Amalia DuPlessis, and Hensley Gibson; from the third grade, those advancing were Auston Howton, Elise Edgin, Callen Collins, Fisher Lappin, Finley Mansel, Ellie Higgins, and Austin Reed; fourth-grade students moving on to the district level were Aubree Webb, Sidney Hinkle, Ruthie Higginbothom, Palmer Higginbothom, Lacey Slane, Aubree Walker, Joshy Jones, Harper Lake, and Dawson Long; representing the fifth grade were Emma Higgins, Jase Parson, Merritt Higginbothom, Maddox Collins, Norah Rockett, Katherine Reed, Leo Watkins, Stone Kennedy, and Staxx Long; and from the sixth grade, the students advancing were Abby Jones, Makenzie Jones, Cohner Reeves, Livie Fletcher, Milner Higginbothom, Knox Long, Auston Ross, Steele Hinkle, and Isaiah Price. The reading fair continued to recognize outstanding achievement as the district winners were announced, all of whom qualified to advance to the state level. These accomplished students included Walker Higgins, Wells Higgins, Channing Coleman, Amalia DuPlessis, Hensley Gibson, Finley Mansel, Ellie Higgins, Austin Reed, Ruthie Higginbothom, Palmer Higginbothom, Joshy Jones, Harper Lake, Emma Higgins, Merritt Higginbothom, Staxx Long, Norah Rockett, Katherine Reed, Stone Kennedy, Leo Watkins, Abby Jones, Milner Higginbothom, Knox Long, and Dawson Long. The culmination of the reading fair was the announcement of the state winners, recognizing those students who demonstrated exceptional talent and dedication in the competition. These distinguished individuals who placed at the state level were Walker Higgins, Wells Higgins, Channing Coleman, Austin Reed, Finley Mansel, Ellie Higgins, Dawson Long, Joshy Jones, Harper Lake, Norah Rockett, Katherine Reed, Staxx Long, Merritt Higginbothom, Milner Higginbothom, and Knox Long, marking a significant achievement in their academic journeys.
The final academic awards recognized the classroom spelling bee winners from the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades. The classroom spelling bee winners were recognized for their linguistic skills, with the fourth-grade representatives being Palmer Higginbothom, KJ Jones, Dawson Long, Aubree Webb, and Lacey Slane. From the fifth grade, the winners were Tyler Cole, Drake Livingston, Merritt Higginbothom, Norah Rockett, and Leo Watkins. The sixth-grade classroom spelling champions were Isaiah Price, Auston Ross, Abby Jones, Milner Higginbothom, and Hadley Tefteller. Following the classroom competitions, the Lee Academy spelling bee winners who would advance to the district level were announced: from the fourth grade, Palmer Higginbothom; representing the fifth grade, Leo Watkins; and from the sixth grade, Milner Higginbothom.
As the program drew to a close, a thoughtful message was shared, reminding everyone that while the day celebrated specific achievements, the contributions and efforts of every student are valuable and appreciated.
The 2025 elementary honors day served as a vibrant testament to the hard work, dedication, and diverse talents of the young learners at Lee Academy. The enthusiastic applause and proud smiles throughout the program underscored the strong sense of community and the commitment to fostering excellence within the school.
