Plaques and trophies were accompanied by the cheers of peers, parents and educators on Wednesday night as seniors were acknowledged for their accolades in the academics, athletics and community.  

The 2016 senior awards night was held on May 25 in the Ellen Driscoll theater. The annual ceremony distributes awards to seniors that have been voted on by various PHS faculty members in a variety of departments.

“These awards celebrate so many different areas of the school and represent the many different areas of talent that this senior class has,” student counselor Amanda Carlson said.  

The senior awards show is a long standing tradition, with the oldest of the awards dating back more than 30 years and new awards getting added to the show periodically.

“Everybody has worked so hard not just for senior year, but over the course of the past four years and it feels good to finally get to honor them publicly,” Carlson said.

As many of the schools departments vote separately on who is going to win any of the awards, it is possible for a student to be acknowledged more than once during the ceremony.

“It feels amazing and shocking to receive an award because so many of the people in there receiving awards are intelligent, accomplished people and it’s crazy to be there with them,” senior Ryan Long said.

Long, who received the Eric Swart Rachesky Memorial Certificate, said he did not expect to receive the award but said that he believes his ability to persevere and work through past struggles in academics to achieve his goals, is the reason why he was acknowledged.

There were 37 different awards presented at the ceremony and a total of 32 different recipients.

“I think the award I received showed my dedication to art because it is my passion and it is what I love to do,” said senior Gabe Crown.

Crown, who received the Outstanding Senior Painting and Drawing Award, said it felt amazing to be acknowledged with this award, especially because his sister was presented with the same award when she was a senior.

“This night is a great chance for the community to see the hard work of the students because everybody is just so busy that we don’t get a chance to stop and admire each other’s accomplishments,” said Carlson “but this night gives us the opportunity to do so.”