By Airi Nomura – Loveland, Colorado … As the school year came to a close, students gathered for a final Saturday evening program on May 21. Their teachers recognized their hard work by giving them awards in many fields: sports, humor, and of course, academics.

Michael Taylor, Campion Adventist Church associate pastor, began the evening with a worship thought. Reflecting on that thought, Kylie, a senior, said, “He reminded all of us that although our athletic and academic achievements are important, they cannot compare to what God can achieve through us and our willingness to use those achievements for his glory.”

Then, it was time for the students to be recognized.

“It was nice to get up there and see the hard work pay off. I enjoyed getting the sports awards because I could look back at all the fun I had playing soccer and basketball,” exclaimed Colton, a junior.

Kylie echoed Colton’s sentiment. “It was really cool to see all my fellow teammates and classmates get recognized for all their hard work this year! What most surprised me is getting the College Writing award. I honestly hate writing because it takes me so long, but I was glad that my hard work showed through!”

Many teachers gave awards to the students with the top three grades in their classes. Eldridge, a freshman, who got one of the awards, commented, “Seeing my first awards night was surprisingly fun! It made me feel like I should start trying [harder] in sports and school for the awards and appreciation. When my name got called just for one award, that was greatly appreciated, but I want more! Overall, awards night was really enjoyable!”

During the program, the deans announced the new resident assistants (RA’s) for next year.

“The program was really cool; it was really nice to recognize the people who put in all the hard work. For me, it was super fun when I got called up as a new RA because I had been dreaming about getting this position since Freshman year. Overall, it was a very fun night,” said Faith, a junior.

In Campion’s tradition, the end of the year video produced by Noah, a senior, culminated the program.

“The highlight of the night had to be the video made by one of my friends. I already knew he was good at his video making, but he completely outdid himself,” said Edward, a senior.

He added, “There were clips of times I don’t even remember, and it was a good reminder of all the fun I’ve had here at Campion. I know I’m going to be looking back at that video many years in the future.”

–Airi Nomura is a senior at Campion Academy; photos supplied