For 18 Carson High School seniors, gowns will begin a transformation tonight in a ceremony some eight weeks ahead of their June 11 graduation.
In a ceremony of silver cord and tassel, Cheryl Stoddard, director of student activities, will award the symbols to the seniors achieving at least a 3.6 grade-point average during the past four years of high school.
"For those that value academics, I think it's very important," she said. "Only 18 out of some 510 graduates are going to receive the cord and tassel."
The awards ceremony will be for seniors only - the ceremony for other grades takes place in the fall - and begins at 7 tonight in Senator Square of the high school. About 60 students overall will be recognized for academic achievement.
The awards: For seniors who achieved at least a 3.6 GPA for the past three years, a patch featuring a lamp of learning for their letter jackets; for students reaching a 3.6 GPA for the past two years, a pin to put on the academic letter of their jacket is their award; and for first-year 3.6 GPA-achievers, the letter "C" for Carson with the word "academics" written across the bottom with a torch of learning reaching up the middle of the "C."
Senior students' academics awards ceremony occurs in the spring so they can have the cord and tassel to wear on their gown.
"For me, (the cord and tassel award) is one of the things I enjoy giving the most," Stoddard said. "Of course, academics is the reason we come to school."
The ceremony is expected to last approximately 45 minutes. Carson City School District Board of Trustee Bob Crowell is scheduled to speak, and Stoddard will ask the students about their plans.
"I actually get to give the fourth-time award, which is very neat because we make a bigger deal about it and ask the students where they're going to go to college and what they're going to major in."
n Contact Maggie O'Neill at moneill@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1219.