A night of excitement. A time of celebration with the senior class. Overall, a night to recognize the graduating class of 2019. Honors Night is the starting activity that leads up to graduation. Members of the community all come together to honor the students’ hard work and dedication throughout their four years of high school. Many members in the Taft community generously donated money in order to help the graduating class with their lives after high school. This year, there were 60 different scholarships offered to 68 TUHS students. This year’s total amount was around $188,125. Members of Taft Union High School alumni also gave back to this year’s graduating class. Numerous donors gave, “words of wisdom.”

Before students received the Kelsey Meadows Scholarship, some kind words were given on her behalf. The seniors were told to always stay in touch with their classmates because, in the end, “you all are family.” She ended with saying, “This small oil town shaped all of you.” Principal Mary Alice Finn vocalized how thankful she was for the success of the senior class and the generous donors: “Honors Night is the start of the graduation season at TUHS. This evening showcases the years of hard work by our students and the generous dollars of our community to support them as they transition to their next chapter in life. There are countless members of the Taft community that have benefited from the donations of others through Honors Night and in turn those same individuals continue to give back. The TUHS campus is lucky to have a strong tradition of support from the Taft community and this event reminds us all of why we call Taft home.” This Wildcat tradition is possible because of the many gracious donors in the community. All of the seniors’ hard work has finally paid off.