When Richy Huneycutt, Director of Marketing, Recruiting and Communications, walked into the Coach Bobby Dawson Court at Lenoir Community College, the audience filled with Science Olympiad participants stood and chanted her name.

"It's my distinct honor to be here this afternoon to honor Richy Huneycutt," said Kim Gervase, Executive Director of North Carolina Science Olympiad. "To give you this award and commemorate your 20 years of dedication to this program."

Per their website, North Carolina Science Olympiad is one of the largest and oldest Science Olympiad programs in the country. With 18,000 students competing annually, NCSO serves a culturally, economically and regionally diverse group of students.

During the presentation that thanked Huneycutt for her 20 years of dedication to the NCSO, quotes were shared from volunteers and participants, a credit to Huneycutt’s commitment to the program.

Tanya McGhee, Science Olympiad volunteer since 2006, was quoted as saying, “Science Olympiad is one of my favorite outreach events of the year. Richy’s infectious enthusiasm and amazing organizational skills make this event easy and fun for myself, other event leaders, volunteers, coaches, and students. Thank you, Richy, for helping us to create wonderful STEM memories!”

Each time a quote was shared, the crowd cheered. Different volunteers from a number of schools came up to congratulate Huneycutt with a handshake or a hug.

"Thank you, Richy, for creating all the lifelong memories for the students and the teachers at my school,” said David Rackley, Science Olympiad Coach for 17 years.

Richy Huneycutt was humble and thankful for the surprise gesture.

“I have never been so surprised when I walked into the gym. I am blessed to work with some incredible people who help make this event happen for our middle and high school students," said Huneycutt. "It is so rewarding to watch students get excited about academics and I feel very fortunate to have been a part of it for the past 20 years.”

After the presentation, the awards were given to the participants of the Science Olympiad during the closing ceremony of the NCSO 2020 Kinston Regional Tournament.

Sixth-grade student, Joshua Heath said, “I chose Science Olympiad because I liked science. I wanted to try something new this year and I have truly loved it.”