Every year, the school takes a break from the hustle and bustle of daily routines and recognizes students who have been putting in the extra academic effort and showing academic pride.

Tigard Academic Pride Week celebrates students who have put their best academic foot forward, and recognizes them for their achievements. The week highlights students in six different academic categories; Top 5 percent, Most Improved, Service, Love of Learning, Perfect Attendance, and Tigard Pride. Multiple opportunities throughout the week allowed students to be rewarded in an entertaining fashion, all leading up to a big assembly.

Head Secretary Rachel Edwards is the leading mind behind all things Academic Pride Week. She has been planning out this week for months now. Despite the multiple years of planning and hard work, she highlights how important recognizing students for their achievements are to her.

“I think it’s important to highlight academics and celebrate [them],” Edwards said. “I’m really grateful… It’s very humbling to do academic week, and to work with the teachers and the students.”

Throughout the week, during various classes, Office Assistants would deliver slips of paper congratulating students if they won that day’s award. On the slip, there were instructions on when to leave the classroom, and what treat they would get once arriving in the Commons. These treats included ice cream, doughnuts, and popcorn, depending on the day and the award you won.

Once students arrived in the Commons, they were greeted by multiple familiar faces, some including Principal Van Fleet, Tim Hummel and Rachel Edwards among others. In addition to the treat, students received a Tigard High School key chain made by Mr. Laiti and his Computer Graphics class and a raffle ticket.

Throughout the week, students had various opportunities to win these raffle tickets. These raffle tickets could be won by participating in the Cash Cab, riding the elevator and answering a few questions, or answering questions from teachers or “Hallway Patrol.”

Mrs. Kelley, a U.S. History and Psychology teacher, had a rather unique way of administering tickets. On top of a crate in the business hall, she shouted out U.S. History based questions and gave tickets to any student who answered correctly.

“I loved [handing out raffle tickets]! It was fun to be out in the hall and to be interacting with students not in a classroom setting,” Kelley said.

These raffle tickets were a large part in the culminating event at the end of the week. This was the Tigard Pride assembly, which is held every year to highlight the achievements of all students who won a Tigard Pride award. This assembly also had multiple performances by Choralation, “The Drowsy Chaperone” cast and the robotics team, who shot out t-shirts into the crowd.

PJ Doolin, a performer in “The Drowsy Chaperone” enjoyed the experience of performing.

“It felt really cool to advertise for the show for the whole school, the whole process was really exciting. I was really happy to be there,” Doolin said.

As were many other students. While various activities ensued––Brain Bowl, raffle drawings, performances––there was hardly a student in the crowd who wasn’t enjoying the assembly.

At the end of the assembly, Tigard High School inducted a new member into the school’s Hall of Fame. Keri Rosebraugh, an award-winning visual artist and teacher, graduated in 1985, and has since then earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from the Art Center of College and Design, with Honors in Illustration. She also has her work displayed in Florence, Italy, Moscow, Russia, and Paris, France.

“[Keri Rosebraugh] has taught drawing, painting and sculpture. She has illustrated for Disney, Mattel, DreamWorks, Coca-Cola [and] New York Times,” Holtz said. Along with Norris, he introduced Rosebraugh. “She serves on the Board of Directors of Eco-Logical Gallery…  and is the past president of the Society of Illustrators. She says her Tigard High art teachers taught her ‘That not only could I follow my dreams, but that art is essential to the human spirit.’”

Rosebraugh was in Europe during the time of the award, so her former THS teachers Jean Hernandez and Byrom Darr accepted her award on their behalf. During their acceptance speech, they explained how great a student she was and how proud they are of her multiple achievements.

For students, there is a lot to love about Tigard Academic Week. Sophomore Alexis Clark expressed how she enjoys the recognition it brings to students. “I really enjoy how Tigard Pride Week celebrates a diverse range of students and their achievements,” Clark said.

“I think Tigard Pride Week, more specifically the assembly, is set apart from the other assemblies,” Jacob Jones added. Jones won the Top Tiger Visual Arts award, and has worked on Tigard Today for the past two years. “Other assemblies don’t necessarily award students for their achievements… I think it’s good that we take a shift towards focusing on academics and giving students who aren’t in the spotlight their recognition.”