Parrott Academy graduation award winners (left to right) Back: Ayush Lamsal, Will Whitley, Josh Okonkwo, Parker Edwards, Palmer Bratton, Eli Steinberg, Matthew Piwowarski, Koleman Denton, Garrison Mullen. Front: Matti Snyder, Elizabeth Norris, Addie Cheek, Macie Yao, Elena Williamson, and Dallas Hill.

Arendell Parrott Academy conferred diplomas on 46 graduating seniors in commencement exercises on June 4th. Held at 4 p.m. in Ellis Simon Gymnasium on the school’s campus, the ceremony featured student speakers Elena Williamson, Josh Okonkwo, and Matti Snyder.   Head of School Brooks Sutton stated.

Ayush Lamsal of New Bern was named Class Valedictorian, with Eli Steinberg of Greenville named Salutatorian.  A number of Lenoir County students won major awards. Elizabeth Norris won the Sharon K. Brooks Community Service Scholarship, Presidential Service Scholars Award, the DAR Good Citizenship Award, and the Beckman Excellence in Music Award.  Ashlyn Crocker won the Ava Kendall Award, and Parker Edwards won the Jane Moore Stubbs Award.  In fine arts, Erin and Rylee McKenrick received the Shelia M. Stroud Fine Arts Award, while Matti Snyder won the Beckman Excellence in Music Award as well as the Jones-Wooten Teaching Award. Will Whitley was named EPIC Academic All-Conference and received the Rex Smith Award. 

Other Lenoir County graduates are Tyler Aliff, Sydney Herlong, Alyssa Kim, Javier Martinez-Rodriguez, Collins Moore, and Walter Shannon. 

In a Senior Awards Banquet on June 3rd, Mrs. Sutton recognized students who had cumulatively won 19 scholarships to colleges and universities. Sydney Herlong of Kinston won the Furman University Bell Tower Scholarship worth over $100,000.  

This year’s commencement marked the close of Parrott Academy’s 55th year of classes. It also concluded a successful academic year of face-to-face instruction on campus for the school’s 666 students.