Holloway Junior Annie May Dodson makes her acceptance speech for YMCA Outstanding Student of the Year. She thanked the crowd for her scholarship so she “can go to college and be somebody.” TMP/ Michelle Willard
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No one was more surprised than Annie May Dodson Thursday morning when she was named Student of the Year at the YMCA Inaugural Outstanding Student and Educator Breakfast.
Dodson, 16, was one of 14 exceptional Rutherford County high school students honored at the breakfast ceremony.
“She’s awesome. I wish I had 60 more like her,” her favorite teacher Jennifer Williams said about the junior from Holloway High School.
Dodson, daughter of Randy and Misty Dodson, stands out from the crowd because of her academic achievement and overwhelming dedication to the county’s alternative high school.
Over her years at Holloway, she helped organize the school’s first football homecoming and its first football banquet, where she collected money for trophies, decorated and even helped cook the meal.
For all her hard work and dedication, Dodson was awarded Outstanding Student of the Year and a $1,000 scholarship, which she plans to use to become a medical assistant.
“It means a lot,” she said about winning the award. “It means I went to school and got good grades for a reason.”
Dodson chose Holloway over the other high schools in the county because her brother attends the school and she thought she could help him by going there and “it seemed like a good school.
“I absolutely love it there,” she added.
Holloway mostly houses students who are at-risk of dropping out and offers a flexible block schedule and night classes. The different schedule gives students the opportunity to earn up to 12 credits a year, instead of the normal six.
Holloway had a graduation rate of 82 percent in 2007; Rutherford County’s rate was 87.5 percent and statewide only 81 percent graduated.
Dodson in on track to graduate early and has grown into a responsible adult because of the school’s unique structure, Williams said.
After the Good Friday Tornado destroyed a fellow student’s home, Dodson organized a clean-up crew and spent several days helping the family sort through belongings and salvage what they could, Williams said.
“That’s the type of person she is,” Williams said.
Dodson’s mother Misty couldn’t be prouder of who her daughter is.
“She doesn’t meet a stranger and helps out where she can,” her mother said through tears of pride and joy.
The honored outstanding students were:
- Jackson Gibson, sophomore Blackman High School
- Hannah Elizabeth “Liz” Marlow, junior Blackman High School
- Rachel Hedgepath, senior Eagleville School
- Joshua Brand, junior Holloway High School
- Cristian Johnson, junior La Vergne High School
- Jocie Hofstra, sophomore Oakland High School
- Noosha Kamtarin, junior Oakland High School
- Biven Alexander, sophomore Riverdale High School
- Madison Burch, sophomore Riverdale High School
- Matthew Jones, junior Siegel High School
- Sara Martin, sophomore Siegel High School
- Noah Nielsen, junior Smyrna High School
- Sid Sinha, sophomore Smyrna High School
The honored outstanding teachers were:
- Elizabeth Shrum, Blackman High School
- Kristopher Lais, Holloway High School
- Natasha Vatakeius, La Vergne High School
- Sheryl Gregg, Oakland High School
- Darrick Bowman, Siegel High School
- Kim Clemons, Smyrna High School
Michelle Willard can be contacted at 615-869-0816 or mwillard@murfreesboropost.com. |
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