By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – The 500-member Thompson High School class of 2019 set a new school record for scholarship offers at the school, and the crowd gathered in the school’s Performing Arts Center on May 16 for the annual Senior Awards Night program seemed to reinforce this fact.

A capacity crowd filled the PAC, as hundreds of THS seniors received recognition for their accolades, and had a chance to celebrate their achievements a few days before the school’s graduation ceremony.

“Congratulations to the class of 2019. We are on track to change the world,” said class president Terence Armstead Jr. “Thank you to our parents for creating these opportunities for us.”

During the ceremony, representatives from several colleges throughout the Southeast recognized seniors who have earned scholarships, United States Armed Forces representatives honored students who are entering the military after graduation and the THS Athletic Department spotlighted student-athletes who are continuing their careers at the next level.

The THS band program honored students who have signed scholarships to play in college, the school honored skilled trade students who are entering the workforce and a multitude of local organizations and foundations presented students with scholarships to help fund their educational futures.

In total, the class of 2019 earned more than $25 million in scholarship offers: about $18.6 million of which were academic and about $6.4 million of which were athletic.

“We’d like to thank all the parents, grandparents, friends and family members who are here tonight. We believe you all played an important role in the lives of these students,” said THS Assistant Principal Daniel Farris. “We are here to honor the historic success of the class of 2019. Tonight is a celebration of their individual success, and their success as a group.”