First National Bank (FNB) of Griffin hosted the 42nd Annual Outstanding Student Banquet and Breakfast events this week for Griffin High School (GHS) and Spalding High School (SHS) scholars. The FNB Outstanding Student Banquet is the longest-running program to showcase academic excellence in the Griffin-Spalding County School System (GSCS).
The Outstanding Student Banquet was held on Tuesday, April 15, at GHS for seniors who have a grade point average of 89.5 or higher. Students from both GHS and SHS and their families enjoyed a nice dinner catered by Margo's Mediterranean Cuisine. All of the students received a certificate and a $25 voucher to either open a new bank account or deposit into an existing account. STAR Students, GHS Senior Gavin Smith and SHS Senior Claire Daniels, were each surprised with a $1,000 check from FNB.
Executive Director of Georgia Firefighters Burn Foundation Dennis Gardin was the keynote speaker at the banquet. Gardin provided an inspirational message of hope and perseverance to GSCS families.
On Tuesday and Wednesday morning, FNB honored GSCS freshmen, sophomores and juniors with a grade point average of 89.5 or higher with breakfast from Chick-fil-A.
“We believe our success, as a community bank, is dependent on the success of the community. We also believe that rewarding our students who are putting forth the extra effort to succeed academically is a critical step towards our community’s future success,” stated FNB President Chuck Copeland.
GSCS Executive Director of Communications & Partnerships Adam Pugh addressed the crowd of more than 250 students, parents and Partners in Education saying, "GSCS is proud of these outstanding students and their accomplishments. We are very appreciative of our Partner in Education First National Bank who has provided this recognition event for over 40 years! Thank you, First National Bank for this investment in our students. This is a perfect example of the community working together to shape the future. Thank you to our families for allowing GSCS to serve you and your students and thank you students for working hard to make good grades to prepare yourselves for college and career success."