Athletes get trophies, actors get flowers, and academic geniuses get scholarships to the colleges of their dreams. However, HHS also chooses to recognize students who possess the qualities crucial to helping a community thrive: respect, responsibility, and honesty. Since 2011, the annual Tiger Choice Awards have been held to honor students who exemplify all three.
For the thirteenth year, HPHS hosted the Tiger Choice Awards on April 3rd, a ceremony in which each staff member picks a student to acknowledge for whatever reason they choose.
“Most of the time, I think staff tries to make their choice based on our core values,” StuCo/Renaissance advisor Mrs. Michelle DeFosset said. “But sometimes, it’s for reasons as simple as ‘the student just makes us smile’ or as complex as ‘the student goes above and beyond to make sure they are doing well but also help others in the process.’”
ELA teacher Mr. Brian Murphy has a special reason in mind when choosing his Tiger Choice nominee, “I try to pick a senior who has never been picked before,” he said.
Korie Michaelis was Mr. Murphy’s pick this year. She took his Journalism class as a freshman and ACP Creative Writing this year. “I’ve known Korie for a long time and she is dependable. She’s always in the right frame of mind and always on task,” Murphy said.
Progress and change is definitely important when considering a student for Tiger Choice, but it is also important to acknowledge those who have done “the right thing” from the beginning.
“I’m a good student and always have been a good student so no one notices if I go above and beyond,” Michaelis said.
On the other hand, some students continue to be recognized for their importance both inside and outside of the classroom. Senior Maddie Puckett has been chosen for Tiger Choice three times over her high school career.
“Mrs. Nelson chose me my freshman year […] I know it’s because I always turned my homework in,” Puckett said. “That was a rarity, being a bunch of freshmen, right out of Covid.”
Maddie was also chosen by Ms. Barfield during her sophomore and senior years. “I wrote a lot in our conversation boards. I always wrote almost a thousand words just explaining my thoughts on certain prompts,” Puckett said.
Over these past thirteen years, Hancock Place High School has awarded well over 600 students with a Tiger Choice Award, in the form of a medal that many students wear at graduation. The hope is that this tradition will continue for many years to come, and recognize even more exemplary students.
