- Upper School
Congratulations to the Class of 2023 The total scholarships to date as of April 29, 2023, earned by the Class of 2023 is $11,397,826.00. This is the highest amount of scholarship dollars earned by any class at Briarwood to date.
SERVICE ACADEMY APPOINTMENT
We always feel an extra measure of gratitude when our graduates make the decision to serve our country. With this in mind, we want to recognize and congratulate a member of the Class of 2023 who, after a long, arduous, and competitive process, has been chosen to attend a service academy.
Mr. Greg Hess joined us to present William Burton Colllis with his appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy.
SONS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION BRONZE GOOD CITIZENSHIP MEDAL
The Sons of the American Revolution Bronze Good Citizenship Medal is given to one male and one female senior student selected by the faculty. These students embody good citizenship in and out of the classroom; show a commitment to scholarship and challenging themselves in the classroom; are demonstrated leaders outside of the classroom in extracurriculars sponsored by BCS; are involved in their community; and are well-respected by classmates. This year’s winners are Sam Olsen and Bradford Latta.
DAR GOOD CITIZEN AWARD WINNER
The Sumter Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution recognizes one student from each high school in its area for outstanding qualities of good citizenship. These school nominees are voted on by the faculty and confirmed by the DAR Chapter. Additionally, one winner from all area schools within the Sumter Chapter Area is selected based on his or her application and essay. This year’s winner from Briarwood and for the entire Sumter Chapter Area is Sam Olsen.
DAR PATRIOTS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION HIGH SCHOOL ESSAY CONTEST 2ND PLACE WINNER
The Sumter Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution also asked high school students to select a figure from the era of the American Revolution and discuss how he or she influenced the course of the war; who he or she was; and how he or she contributed to the founding of a new nation. Winners of chapter contests are sent to the state DAR Chapter for evaluation. First, second, and third-place winners receive a certificate and a cash prize. Congratulations to Hayden Fixler for placing 2nd in the state essay contest.
Heisman High School Scholarship SCHOOL WINNER
The Heisman High School Scholarship Program, presented by Acceptance Insurance, extends the Heisman prestige to our nation’s most esteemed high school seniors by recognizing and rewarding outstanding scholar-athletes who understand that the most important victories happen not only on the field but in their schools and communities. All senior student-athletes are encouraged to apply and a panel from The Heisman High School Scholarship Committee chooses winners from each high school. This year’s winner from Briarwood is Bradford Latta.
Youth Leadership Development Program
The students selected for this program are identified and recommended by their high school principals, counselors, and teachers. They are students who have by their behavior and character, earned the respect of their educators and are supported by them. These students participate in a 9-month training program to develop leadership skills and contribute to community service. These students will participate in a graduation ceremony next week and have had the opportunity to compete for additional awards based on their participation in the program.
Margaret Allen Whittenburg
Hadley Hartsfield
Alexa Grace Lindley
Sam Olsen
Lauren Greene
Congratulations to all of you on your completion and upcoming graduation from YLDP and thank you for representing Briarwood so well.
Bryant-Jordan Scholar Athlete Regional Winner
Named after two Alabama sports legends – Paul “Bear” Bryant and Ralph “Shug” Jordan – the Bryant-Jordan Scholarship Program brings together the best and brightest high school senior student-athletes in Alabama to recognize excellence and award college scholarships to celebrate their achievements. The Scholar-Athlete Award honors high school seniors who are both superior athletes and outstanding students. Selection considerations include the following: scholastic standing, sports involvement in Alabama High School Athletic Association-sanctioned sports, athletic honors, student leadership, and civic/church leadership. Briarwood’s Scholar Athlete Nominee, as well as the overall 6A Area 8 winner and the 6A Region 4 winner is Bradford Latta.
Bryant-Jordan Achievement Nominee In addition, each Alabama High School Athletic Association member school nominates one student-athlete for the Bryant-Jordan Achievement Award. The 2023 Bryant-Jordan Achievement Award Nominee for Briarwood was nominated for her athletic ability and leadership; ability to overcome obstacles; dedication to her sports and dedication in the classroom. Please help me congratulate our 2023 Bryant-Jordan Achievement Nominee: Piper Eighmy.
Distinguished Young Women of Jefferson County Recognition
Briarwood’s Class of 2023 was represented at the Distinguished Young Women of Jefferson County Competition which is part of a national scholarship program that promotes and rewards scholastic achievement, leadership and talent in young women who are high school seniors. Our representative won the preliminary scholastics award; won the preliminary Self-Expression award; and won the overall Shining Star Award. Congratulations to Mary Virginia Miller.
Presidential Service Awards
The President's Volunteer Service Award is the premier volunteer awards program in the United States, encouraging citizens to live a life of service through presidential gratitude and national recognition. Today we will award those individuals who have achieved a certain standard measured by the number of hours served over a 12-month period during the 2022-2023 academic year.
Bronze award for serving 100-174 hours.
Bella Mejia
Bradford Latta
Brady Waugh
Jolee Giadrosich
Julia Ray
Katherine Jones
Kathryn Danley
Saddler Sachs
Stephen Duke
Taylor Smith
Silver award for serving 175-249 hours.
Brooke Anderson
Hadley Hartsfield
Rae Ni Riddlesperger
Reese Rasmussen
Fine Art Endorsement The Fine Arts endorsement acknowledges a student’s dedication to the Fine Arts throughout their high school career. Students who receive this honor must complete a minimum of 4 full credit hours in the Arts, demonstrate mastery in one art form and maintain a high academic record.
Brooke Anderson
Kenzly Austin
Darcy Bean
Robert Beason
Madalyn Boartwright
Canaan Bradley
Kyle Coalson
Burton Collis
Callie Curtis
Kathryn Danley
Mamie Dickey
Brandon Dixon
Jolee Giadrosich
Hadley Hartsfield
Abigail Henley
Skylar Henley
Jordan Holland
Cannon Holmes
Lily Johnson
Isabel Jones
Madelyn King
Shana Lester
Alexa-Grace Lindley
Hallie Lindsey
Casey Madderra
Will Maddux
Brooke Metzger
Sallie Montgomery
Carlton Mullins
Jenna Nelson
Caroline Norris
Emily Odom
Aidan Punch
Charlie Ray
Rae Ni Riddlesperger
Isaac Rollins
Colin Simmerman
Ella Sims
Taylor Smith
Katie Springfield
Bethany Springfield
Sawyer Staggs
Morgan Terry
Mark Thomas
Hannah Thompson
Emma Walters
Nathan Watkins
Riley Watson
Lindsey Weigant
Morgan Williams
Briley Youngblood
Fine Arts Superlatives
John Philip Sousa Award For Excellence in Band* - Hannah Thompson
Radica Show Choir, Achievement Award* – Nathan Watkins and Emma Walters
Radica Show Choir, Leadership Award* – Isabel Jones and Charlie Ray
Lions Heart Award
Seniors had the opportunity to apply for this award that recognizes students who have participated in at least two Alabama High School Athletic Association-sanctioned sports each year of high school and have maintained at least a 3.85 GPA. All student-athletes who applied with the appropriate credentials are awarded.
Piper Eighmy
Jolee Giadrosich
Mathias Leib
Bradford Latta
Sigourney Bell
Brady Waugh
The SENIOR SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
The Senior Sportsmanship Award is given to one male and one female senior athlete and is voted upon by the coaches and administrators in the Athletic Department. This year’s recipients are
Girls – Sigourney Bell
Boys – Brandon Dixon
PRESIDENTIAL EXCELLENCE AWARD - The President’s Educational Achievement Award recognizes students who earn a 4.0 GPA or better in high school.
Brooke Anderson
Robert Beason
Sigourney Bell
Canaan Bradley
Samuel Burr
Burkley Butts
Lily Byler
Walker Chambless
Ansleigh Clark
Kyle Coalson
Wells Connell
Cade Cook
Olivia Davis
Savannah Daniels
Mamie Dickey
Andrew Duke
Jolee Giadrosich
Lauren Greene
Hadley Hartsfield
Casen Heaps
Skyler Henley
Andrew Hess
Jacob Hicks
Abigail Hoaglund
Avery Jacks
Isabel Jones
Katherine Jones
Madelyn King
Zach Lamey
Justin Larkins
Hannah Grace Leeper
Alexa-Grace Lindley
William Lloyd
Callie Mann
Andrew McAdams
Grant Mears
Bella Mejia
Brooke Metzger
Sallie Montgomery
Emily Odom
Aidan Punch
Charlie Ray
Rae Ni Riddlesperger
Isaac Russell
Makayla Sato
Natalie Schroder
Harrison Self
Colin Simmerman
Jonathan Stevens
John Taylor
Mark Thomas
Brooks Tillman
Grayson Underwood
Riley Watson
Morgan Williams
Lindsey Weigant
President’s Gold Award for Educational Excellence. These students have a minimum of a 4.0 GPA and also earned a 30 or higher on the ACT reported to Briarwood prior to November 1, 2022.
Abigail Cain
Burton Collis
Dermie Cropp
Callie Curtis
Kathryn Danley
Brandon Dixon
Stephen Duke
Piper Eighmy
Sam Faulkner
Hayden Fixler
Brayden Heaps
Abigail Hinson
Jordan Holland
Caleb Laechelt
Bradford Latta
Aiden Lee
Hollyn Lee
Mary Virginia Miller
Anderson Moore
Caroline Norris
Sam Olsen
Isaac Rollins
Jake Scott
Bethany Springfield
Sawyer Staggs
Hannah Thompson
Will Thompson
Ford Thornton
Nathan Watkins
Drew Woodruff
Each fall, The College Board’s AP Program recognizes high school students who have demonstrated outstanding college-level achievement through their performance on multiple AP Exams. AP Scholars are students who have scored a 3 or higher on 3 or more AP Exams during the previous spring AP tests. This year’s senior class has 13 AP Scholars.
Abigail Cain
Burton Collis
Dermie Cropp
Callie Curtis
Piper Eighmy
Jordan Holland
Caleb Laechelt
Bradford Latta
Anderson Moore
Caroline Norris
Sam Olsen
Sawyer Staggs
In addition, the College Board grants the AP Scholar with Distinction honor designation to students who average a 3.25 on all AP Exams taken and have made a 3 or higher on 4 or more AP exams. This year, we have one AP Scholar with Distinction.
Hayden Fixler
National Merit Scholarship Corporation Awards
The mission of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) is to recognize and honor the most academically talented students of the United States. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation accomplishes its mission by conducting nationwide academic scholarship programs. The enduring goals of NMSC's scholarship programs are to promote a wider and deeper respect for learning in general and for exceptionally talented individuals in particular and shine a spotlight on brilliant students and encourage the pursuit of academic excellence at all levels of education. (Landon will hand out certificates).
Commended students in the National Merit Scholarship Program are recognized for their exceptional academic promise and place among the top 5% of the 1.5 million students who entered the competition by taking the PSAT in Fall 2021. Commended scholars were formally announced in August 2022.
Honored today as National Merit Commended Scholars from Briarwood are 4 students.
Dermie Cropp
Caleb Laechelt
Mary Virginia Miller
Drew Woodruff
Congratulations to all of you!
Out of the total pool for the National Merit Scholarship Program, approximately 16,000 high-performing students were named as semi-finalists in the Fall of 2022. These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth about $30 million that were offered this spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. The awardees of National Merit Finalists are candidates judged to have the strongest combination of academic achievements, personal qualities, leadership abilities, and other characteristics that distinguish scholars. I am proud to announce that Sam Olsen was named a National Merit Finalist.
Class of 2023 who have earned the Honors Diploma. To earn an Honors Diploma, a student must take at the minimum, all Honors classes in grades 10-12 in all core subjects when available. He or she must take at least 4 full-year credit AP Courses and must take 2 full years of the same World Language while completing 26 hours of academic credit, which is one more full-year credit than the regular college prep diploma.
Sigourney Bell
Abigail Cain
Burton Collis
Dermott Cropp
Callie Curtis
Sam Faulkner
Hayden Fixler
Abigail Hinson
Abigail Hoaglund
Jordan Holland
Caleb Laechelt
Bradford Latta
Andrew McAdams
Mary Virginia Miller
Anderson Moore
Caroline Norris
Sam Olsen
Rae Ni Riddlesperger
Isaac Rollins
Jake Scott
Sawyer Staggs
Mark Thomas
Hannah Thompson
Will Thompson
Ford Thornton
Nathan Watkins
BIBLE AWARDS
Bible 12* Isabel Jones
ENGLISH AWARDS
English 12* – Emily Odom
Honors English 12* - Piper Eighmy
Honors English 12 DE* - Grant Mears
AP English Lit 12* – Hannah Thompson
SOCIAL SCIENCE AWARDS
Government/Economics* – Isabel Jones
AP Government* - Sam Olsen
MATHEMATICS AWARDS
Pre-Calculus* - Cade Cook
Advanced Algebra w/Financial Applications* - Piper Eighmy
Calculus* – Emily Odom
AP Calculus AB* – Hayden Fixler
AP Statistics* – Callie Curtis
Varsity Math Team Award* - Dermie Cropp
SCIENCE AWARDS
AP Biology* – Anderson Moore
Honors Biology* - Hannah Thompson
AP Physics C* - Dermie Cropp
AP Environmental Science* - Cade Cook
Anatomy & Physiology* – Piper Eighmy
Honors Anatomy & Physiology* - Hollyn Lee
WORLD LANGUAGE AWARDS
AP French Language* – Hayden Fixler
AP Spanish Language* - Aidyn Lee
Honors Chinese 3*- Cannon Holmes
Honors Chinese 4*- Drew Woodruff
FINE ARTS AWARDS
Art 4 - Aidan Punch
Art Servant Leadership Award - Aidan Punch
Artisan Award - Caleb Laechelt
Outstanding Band Member Award - Hannah Thompson
Yearbook Editor’s Award - Margaret Allen Whittenburg
Video Production Award - Anderson Moore
Lion’s Head Media Award - Robert Beason
Drama Award - Katie Springfield
SGA AWARDS
President* – Sam Olsen
Vice-President* - Nathan Watkins
Secretary*– Lauren Greene
Delegate at Large*- Sigourney Bell and Alexa Grace Lindley
The Allyson Armistead Allred Scholarship has been awarded in memory of Allyson Armistead Allred, a 1988 graduate of Briarwood Christian School. Her husband John sent this statement about the award: “On April 24th, 4 years ago one of the best people I have ever known won her fight with Cancer after a long battle and went to be with her Savior. Allyson Allred was not only this person but she was my wife and friend. Today we celebrate a Senior that has demonstrated some of the same qualities as my wife. Some of these qualities include selflessness, care for others, and a warrior’s heart through tough circumstances. Congratulations, and may you continually reflect on the meaning of this award.” This year, the family has selected Robert Beason.
MR. AND MISS BRIARWOOD are nominated by the students of the senior class and voted on by faculty and staff. This year’s winners are:
Miss Briarwood* - Hadley Hartsfield
Mr. Briarwood* - Sam Olsen
CATHERINE FUSARI UNSUNG HERO AWARD
The CATHERINE FUSARI UNSUNG HERO AWARD goes to a senior who exemplifies the characteristics of a team player and who quietly does his or her best as a student-athlete participant. This student was voted on by faculty and staff. This year’s Unsung Hero award goes to Grant Mears.
JOSEPH HONEA MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
The JOSEPH HONEA MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP is a $1000 scholarship that has been established in memory of Joseph Honea, who passed away in 2013. It is awarded each year to a senior band member who best embodies the Christian ideals and spirit of Joseph’s life. This year’s recipient is Jordan Holland.
MARTIN SNOOK SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP AWARD
The MARTIN SNOOK SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP & SERVICE AWARD goes to a senior who seeks to live a life that models Psalm 119:2: “Blessed are they that keep His testimonies and that seek Him with the whole heart.” The winner is selected by a vote of the faculty and staff. This year’s recipient of the Martin Snook Award is Grant Mears.
COURAGEOUS FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT
The COURAGEOUS FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT award goes to a senior girl who has exhibited leadership, courage, compassion, and transparency in her Christian walk as she has assisted others in their faith journeys. It is awarded based on the vote of BCS faculty and staff. This year’s recipient of the Courageous Fruits of the Spirit Award is Madelyn King.
PEGGY PEVEAR “GOLDEN RULE” AWARD
The PEGGY PEVEAR GOLDEN RULE AWARD goes to a senior student who exemplifies the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” This student encourages, supports, and challenges others with the values and principles of the Christian walk. This year’s recipient who was selected by his peers is Grant Mears.
Salutatorian and Valedictorian of the Class of 2023.
SALUTATORIAN - Sam Olsen
VALEDICTORIAN - Hayden Fixler
