• Parents, students, faculty members, administrators, and other Germantown High School supporters gathered on May 21^st to recognize the talented and dedicated students of the GHS fine arts department for another year of accomplishments. The annual Germantown High School Fine Arts Banquet, held this year at the Germantown Centre’s Great Hall, celebrated the end of another successful year and acknowledged the commitment and achievement of the department’s hard-working students. Fine arts department chair Frank Bluestein and vice principal Leisa Justus began the evening with introductory remarks before attendees were invited to dine on the delicious catered buffet. While enjoying their meals, guests had the opportunity to view the wide array of student-produced artwork lining the walls of the Great Hall. The group of students, parents, and supporters also enjoyed a video montage highlighting the department’s many memorable performances and concerts from the past year. The main course of the evening, however, consisted of recognizing and rewarding the students of the GHS Fine Arts Department for their achievements in all aspects of the arts, including visual arts, instrumental and vocal music, forensics, theatre, and television.
  
  

• The most anticipated moment of the evening was the announcement of the fine arts scholarship winners for the 2005-2006 school year. Over the course of the evening, more than $30,000 in scholarships and service awards was presented. Several of Germantown’s most outstanding students were awarded with scholarships to help further their fine arts educations at the university level. Numerous civic clubs, private donors, and charitable organizations throughout the Germantown community graciously donate the awards each year.
  
  
• A scholarship committee, chaired by Robert Lanier along with community members Jim Pope, Sara Savell, George Walters, Gary Wildman, and fine arts department personnel, reviewed the many scholarship applications submitted by GHS fine arts seniors. Since its inception in 1977, the fine arts scholarship program has become a symbol of the hard work and dedication of GHS fine arts students.
  
  
• To begin the scholarship presentations, Frank Bluestein announced the creation of a new scholarship for the 2005-2006 school year. The scholarship, the Deputy Sheriff Ryan Seguin Memorial Theatre Arts Scholarship, was presented this year in memory of former student Ryan Seguin. During high school, Ryan was an active member of the GHS Fine Arts Department. He went on to school at Southern Illinois University and three years ago became a Deputy Sheriff in Fort Lauderdale. This past year, Deputy Seguin was tragically killed while making a routine traffic stop. The scholarship is designated for a student who exemplifies Ryan’s characteristics of commitment and congeniality. The scholarship is funded by Ryan’s parents, Tina and Early Lambert, and PPP alumni. This year’s recipient of the $1000 scholarship was PPP company manager Deven McKay.
  
  
• The following are the other major scholarships that were announced at the ceremony.
  
  
• This year the Germantown Rotary Club awarded PPP advertising director Beth Hoag a scholarship in the amount of $2500. The Rotary Club Scholarship is the oldest of all of the GHS Fine Arts scholarships and has been continuously awarded since 1976.
  
  
• The Germantown Association, chaired by Paul Cardelli, Robert Lanier, Thane Smith, Jr., and George Walters, awarded the largest amount of scholarships of any donor organization. $10,000 in varying amounts was presented to deserving students. One award given by the Germantown Association was the E. Frank Bluestein Fine Arts Scholarship. This $2000 scholarship went to GHS-TV programming director Ryan Sweeney. Ryan Carnell was the recipient of this year’s $1500 Almeda Zent Fine Arts Scholarship. This scholarship, given in honor of longtime GHS art teacher Almeda Zent, is awarded to a visual arts student. A $1500 scholarship went to Access Together overall producer Lauren Levins. Two $1250 scholarships went to GHS-TV promotions director David Tessaro and Access Together producer Vicki Beall. Poplar Pike Playhouse house manager Ashley Simms received a scholarship in the amount of $1000, and $500 scholarships were awarded to PPP company manager Deven McKay, GHS-TV morning news show producer Courtney Mickens, and PPP master carpenter Alex Ballin.
  
  
• The Seth Matthew Rowan Memorial Fine Arts Scholarship is donated by the Germantown Fine Arts Foundation in memory of Seth Matthew Rowan. Seth, a fine arts student at Germantown High School, was killed tragically in a car/train accident in the fall of 1994. This scholarship, funded through the GFAF Seth Matthew Rowan Endowment Fund, is awarded to a theatre or television student who has made outstanding contributions to the fine arts department. The scholarship, in the amount of $2500, went to GHS-TV general manager Nathan Babian.
  
  
• Brittney Howard, costume manager for the PPP, received the $1500 Uhlhorn Family Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship is donated each year by Germantown Alderman Frank Uhlhorn.
  
  
• Two major music scholarships were presented at this year’s banquet. The Germantown High School Band Boosters gives an instrumental music scholarship every year. This year’s scholarship, in the amount of $1500, went to band member James Fout. The Poplar Pike Arts Guild Sara Savell Vocal Music Scholarship is awarded every year to an outstanding vocal music student. Emmi Ramey received this scholarship in the amount of $1500.
  
  
• PPP business office manager Courtney Mock won this year’s Elizabeth Anne Brown Fine Arts Scholarship in the amount of $1000. Mrs. Brown, the PPP choreographer, has been a dancer, teacher, and choreographer in the Memphis area for many years and is the owner and director of Performing Arts of Germantown. An anonymous donor funds this scholarship.
  
  
• The Trustmark Bank Pat Lanier Visual Arts Scholarship, named in memory of GHS faculty member Pat Lanier, is awarded to an outstanding art student. Mallory Bell received the scholarship in the amount of $1000. The National Art Honor Society also presented an award this year. Ryan Carnell received a $300 National Art Honor Society Scholarship for his dedication to the visual arts department throughout his high school career.
  
  
• The Poplar Pike Arts Guild Jim and Carol Florow Dramatic Arts Scholarship is awarded to an outstanding drama student. The scholarship is named for the organization’s long-time members and first co-presidents. This year’s winner of the $1500 award was Boomer Brigman, Tateh in the PPP’s recent production of Ragtime.
  
  
• Each year the Germantown Community Television Foundation awards one communication arts student a $1500 scholarship for his or her contributions to GHS-TV. GHS-TV’s general manager Ryan Adams received the award this year.
  
  
• The Germantown Fine Arts Foundation Theatre Arts Scholarship in the amount of $1000 was presented to Courtney Mickens, Sarah in the PPP’s production of Ragtime.
  
  
• The Germantown Civic Club awarded its $500 scholarship to Brandon Jenkins. GHS-TV technical producer Scott Byers received the $500 Germantown Charity Horse Show Fine Arts Scholarship.
  
  
• Spectrum, the Germantown High School visual arts club, presented Dallas Higdon with a scholarship in the amount of $500
  
  
• Thespian Troupe #912 president Ryan Sweeney made a special presentation at the banquet this year to announce the winner of the Junior Thespian Scholarship. Each year the troupe selects one Thespian in the junior class to receive a $3000 scholarship. This year Cassie Farrier won the award. The money is designated to sending the winning student to a five-week summer acting camp at North Carolina School of the Arts.
  
  
• In addition to the many scholarships, several fine arts faculty members and supporters presented service awards to deserving seniors.
  
  
• The David Lilly Memorial Fine Arts Service Award is an endowed fund that was established by Mr. and Mrs. C.D. Barnett in memory of Mrs. Barnett’s son David Lilly, a 1994 graduate of Germantown High School. David was highly involved in all aspects of the theatre and television programs at GHS and was himself a scholarship recipient. David passed away in February of 2000. Poplar Pike Playhouse master carpenter Alex Ballin received this scholarship in the amount of $1000.
  
  
• A Poplar Pike Arts Guild Visual Arts Service Award in the amount of $500 was presented to Rachel Hill. The faculty also presented two $250 Visual Arts Service Awards to Robert Wallace and Calvin Watson. The Germantown Band Boosters presented a service award in the amount of $1000 to Jessica Foon and an award for $500 to Jana Mitchell.
  
  
• The Poplar Pike Arts Guild presented PPP properties chairman Jessie Mason with a $500 Fine Arts Department Service Award. PPAG also presented a GHS-TV Service Award in the amount of $500 to Chris Dixon.
  
  
• At the conclusion of the service awards, Frank Bluestein presented Mary K. VanGieson with an award of appreciation for her twenty years of service. This year marked visual arts teacher Mary K. VanGieson’s final term as part of the fine arts staff at Germantown High School. Her well-deserved retirement began at the end of the school year.
  
  
• The final presentation of the evening was the announcement of the Fine Arts Student of the Year Award.  The award is presented to a student who excels in at least two different arts areas. This year’s recipient was GHS-TV general manager and PPP publications and webmaster Nathan Babian. Nathan will attend the University of Southern Illinois and will major in radio and television.
  
  
• Germantown High School principal Dr. Lonnie Harris spoke at the end of the ceremony. He commended the fine arts students and faculty on their dedication throughout the school year. As the program concluded, there was a sense among everyone that this year’s fine arts department accomplishments were perhaps some of the most impressive ever.
  
  
• Other awards presented throughout the evening were as follows:

VISUAL ART MERIT AWARDS

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS IN ART
LEVEL I
Siobhan Drury, Ben Davids
LEVEL II
Tamara Gant
LEVEL III
Will Higdon, Rachel Hill, Krista Kriz, Jack Sehnert, Jena Murphy, Stephanie Shoro
LEVEL IV
Mallory Bell, Ryan Carnell, Dallas Higdon, Robert Wallace, Jeff Parnell, Jennifer Dorman
AP LEVEL
Brandon Jenkins

PURCHASE PRIZE AWARD RECIPIENTS
Mallory Bell, Ryan Carnell, Brandon Couch, Jennifer Dorman, Anna Helton, Rachel Hill.

BAND MERIT AWARDS

THEATRE HONORS

BEST ACTOR
Boomer Brigman, Ryan Sweeney

BEST ACTRESS
Courtney Mickens

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Jesse Jones

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Lauren Levins

MOST IMPROVED ACTRESS
Cassie Farrier

MOST IMPROVED ACTOR
Wesley Cox

MOST PROMISING MALE PERFORMER
Jacob Strong

MOST PROMISING FEMALE PERFORMER
Kristina Hanford

BREAKOUT MALE PERFORMANCE
Brandon Winfrey

BREAKOUT FEMALE PERFORMANCE
Vicki Beall

BEST DANCER
Courtney Mock

OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE MEMBERS
Emmi Ramey, Archie Mitchell

BEST THESPIANS
Beth Hoag, Ryan Sweeney

OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL THEATRE ACHIEVEMENT
Ryan Adams, Nathan Babian, Alex Ballin, Carrie Davis, Miles Davis, Lee Driver, Ben Holden, Brittany Howard, Emily Singleton.

OUTSTANDING THEATRE MANAGEMENT
Ryan Adams, Nathan Babian, Alex Ballin, Stacey Cotham, Lee Driver, Beth Hoag, Ashley Simms, Emily Singleton, Christina Walker.

POPLAR PIKE PLAYHOUSE AWARDS OF DISTINCTION
Dani Bell, Brittany Butler, Scott Byers, Carrie Davis, Chris Dixon, Jordann Dobbins, Stuart Downing, Lee Driver, Shari Drury, Cassie Farrier, Olympia Glenn, Kristina Hanford, Racheal Howard, Johnnalee Kutzke, Lauren Levins, Jessie Mason, Ronald McCoy, Deven McKay, Courtney Mock, Brylan Price, Marquita Taylor, David Tessaro, Emmi Ramey, Evan Reynolds, Christina Walker, Brianna Williams.

POPLAR PIKE PLAYHOUSE AWARD OF ACHIEVEMENT
Deven McKay

POPLAR PIKE PLAYHOUSE AWARDS OF MERIT
Katie Bryant, Luke Driver, Ben Holden, Krista Kriz, Erika Maclin, Archie Mitchell, Courtney Mock, Emily Pilkington, Allison Ross-Spang, Jack Sehnert, Ashley Simms, Nicole Taylor, Rachel Terrell, Stephanie Townsend, Tucker Wade, Partick Warren.

CERTIFICATES OF ACHIEVEMENT IN THEATRE PERFORMANCE
Vicki Beall, Boomer Brigman, Scott Byers, Courtney Calvin, Drew Clements, Stacey Cotham, Wesley Cox, Chris Dixon, Stuart Downing, Shari Drury, Cassie Farrier, Mark Farrier, Brittany Flaherty, Kristina Hanford, Beth Hoag, Jon Hoag, Phylicia Hollis, Brittney Howard, Ray Howard, Jessica Howell, Jesse Jones, Johnnalee Kutzke, Lauren Levins, Sophie Levy, Erika Maclin, Jessie Mason, Deven McKay, Cooper McKelroy, Brittany Mickens, Courtney Mickens, Archie Mitchell, Courtney Mock, Patrick Nugent, Raphael Onwu, Jr., Emily Pilkington, Kasey Porter, Kelsey Porter, Emmi Ramey, Jocelyn Ramiah, Ashley Simms, Matt Sloan, Jonathan Smith, Greg Stephen, Jacob Strong, Ryan Sweeney, Quenton Thompson, Tucker Wade, Patrick Warren, Brandon Winfrey.

CERTIFICATES OF ACHIEVEMENT IN THEATRE PRODUCTION
Karah Adams, Ryan Adams, Brittany Anderson, Nathan Babian, Alex Ballin, Dani Bell, Ashleigh Brooks, Christina Brooks, Morgan Brooks, Brittany Butler, Katie Bryant, Carrie Davis, Courtney Davis, Miles Davis, Jordann Dobbins, Lee Driver, Luke Driver, Melissa Ethridge, Olympia Glenn, Lindsey Gossett-Smith, Sarah Gray, Monica Hankins, Justin Harrison, Rajennise Harvell, Paris Higgins, Dedrick Hines, Ben Holden, Racheal Howard, D.J. Ivory, Crystal Jackson, Stephanie Johnson, Josh Jones, Katie Kuehn, Krista Kriz, Paris Leake, Ronald McCoy, Anthony McMahon, Sarah Micklos, Murray Milton, Joshua Moore, Kelsey Morrison, Akoma-Cosby Onwu, Brylan Price, Evan Reynolds, Brittany Rose, J.R. Rose, Allison Ross-Spang, Jack Sehnert, Courtney Sessum, Reagan Shockley, Emily Singleton, Lara Stine, Victoria Strawn, Sarah Strickland, Jacob Strong, Mariesha Taylor, Marquita Taylor, Nicole Taylor, Rachel Terrell, David Tessaro, A.J. Tirrell, Rogers Vincent, Brianna Vokers, Christina Walker, Calvin Watson, Brianna Williams.

RIP-RAPPINSTILTSKIN PLAYWRIGHTS
Stacey Cotham, Stuart Downing, Shari Drury, Beth Hoag, Courtney Mock, Jeff White

RIP-RAPPINSTILTSKIN PERFORMANCE
Vicki Beall, Stuart Downing, Jesse Jones, Lauren Levins, Raphael Onwu, Jr., Ryan Sweeney

RIP-RAPPINSTILTSKIN PRODUCTION
Ryan Adams, Alex Ballin, Dani Bell, Carrie Davis, Miles Davis, Lee Driver, Brittney Howard, Krista Kriz, Ronald McCoy, Courtney Mickens, Jack Sehnert, Emily Singleton, Patrick Warren.

SETH MATTHEW ROWAN SOPHOMORE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Stuart Downing

BEST ACTING CLASS STUDENT
Ashley Dale

TELEVISION HONORS

BEST DIRECTOR
Ryan Adams

BEST PRODUCER
Lauren Levins

BEST ENG REPORTER
Shari Drury

BEST ANCHOR
Ryan Sweeney

BEST TECHNICAL PRODUCER
Scott Byers, Chris Dixon

BEST PRODUCTION STAFF MANAGER
Ryan Sweeney

BEST ENG CAMERAMAN
David Tessaro

BEST STUDIO CAMERAMAN
Alex Ballin

BEST MODERATOR
Emmi Ramey

BEST INTERVIEWER
Beth Hoag

BEST EDITOR
David Tessaro

MOST CREATIVE
Ryan Adams

BEST ALL AROUND
Nathan Babian

GHS-TV AWARDS OF ACHIEVEMENT
Ryan Adams, Nathan Babian. Emmi Ramey, Ryan Sweeney, David Tessaro

GHS-TV AWARDS OF DISTINCTION
Nathan Babian, Vicki Beall, Brittany Butler, Scott Byers, Carrie Davis, Miles Davis, Chris Dixon, Stuart Downing, Lee Driver, Shari Drury, Beth Hoag, Lauren Levins, Erika Maclin, Ronald McCoy, Deven McKay, Courtney Mickens, Courtney Mock, Archie Mitchell, Emmi Ramey, Evan Reynolds, Ashley Simms, Emily Singleton, Ryan Sweeney, David Tessaro, Tucker Wade, Patrick Warren.

GHS-TV AWARDS OF MERIT
Dani Bell, Kristina Hanford, Dedrick Hines, Erika Maclin, Brittany Mickens, Brylan Price, Jacob Strong, Brianna Williams.

TELEVISION PRODUCING AWARDS
Nathan Babian, Vicki Beall, Boomer Brigman, Brittany Butler, Stacey Cotham, Carrie Davis, Miles Davis, Chris Dixon, Stuart Downing, Shari Drury, Cassie Farrier, Olympia Glenn, Brittney Howard, Lauren Levins, Jessie Mason, Courtney Mickens, Archie Mitchell, Emmi Ramey, Ashley Simms, Emily Singleton, Ryan Sweeney, Marquita Taylor, David Tessaro, Tucker Wade, Christina Walker, Brianna Williams.

TELEVISION REPORTING AWARDS
Alex Ballin, Stuart Downing, Shari Drury, Cassie Farrier, Kristina Hanford, Beth Hoag, Brittney Howard, Lauren Levins, Erika Maclin, Archie Mitchell, Emmi Ramey, Ashley Simms, Jacob Strong, David Tessaro, Tucker Wade, Brianna Williams.

TELEVISION PRODUCTION AWARDS
Brittany Anderson, Dani Bell, Ashleigh Brooks, Wesley Cox, Jordann Dobbins, Kristina Hanford, Dedrick Hines, Ben Holden, Racheal Howard, Jesse Jones, Ronald McCoy, Brittany Mickens, Josh Moore, Emily Pilkington, Brylan Price, Evan Reynolds, Jacob Strong, Nicole Taylor, Rachel Terrell, Patrick Warren.

VIDEOGRAPHY/EDITING
Ryan Adams, Alex Ballin, Scott Byers, Miles Davis, Ben Holden, David Tessaro, Patrick Warren

BEST FILM AND VIDEO I STUDENTS
Morgan Brooks, A.J. Tirrell

BEST FILM AND VIDEO II STUDENTS
Justin Harrison, Anthony McMahon

COMMUNICATION ARTS STUDENTS OF THE YEAR
Katie Bryant, Allison Ross-Spang.

FORENSIC AWARDS

NEW NFL MEMBERS
Vicki Beall, Stacey Cotham, Stuart Downing, Shari Drury, Cassie Farrier, Brittney Howard, Lauren Levins, Courtney Mickens, Courtney Mock, Archie Mitchell, Ashley Simms, Emily Singleton, Tucker Wade.

RECEIVING ADVANCED DEGREES
Beth Hoag, Deven McKay, Emmi Ramey, Ryan Sweeney.

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