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The 2017 senior class at Thorsby began their whirlwind final days at the school with an honors day ceremony on Wednesday.

The ceremony celebrated the scholarships and awards that members of the class had earned throughout the school year.

“They’ve faced a lot of difficulty and changes over the last couple of years, but they have persevered,” Thorsby principal Corey Clements said.

The motto of this year’s senior class was “dream big, worry small,” and that is exactly what the current group of seniors did.

Examples of the hard work paying off included almost $260,000 worth of scholarship money earned by the senior class, as well as one of the largest senior representations to qualify for the National Honor Society in school history.

“We have some really high achievers in this class that we are very proud of,” Clements said. “They will become really good parents and people as they get older.”

Family members and friends of those receiving awards filled up the Thorsby Auditorium, where the ceremony was held.

“We couldn’t have done any of this without our teachers,” student president Chandler Moon said. “All these scholarships are because of the support staff that has always been there.”

Sitting up on the stage throughout the program were the members of the student government, which included Moon, vice president Lauren Wyatt, secretary Cailey Payton and treasurer Carson Cummings.

As Moon sat up on stage and glanced down on his fellow seniors sitting in the front rows, he could not help but think back on all the times that they have shared together as a group.

“I just flashed back to our Beta Club induction, kindergarten graduation and the memories we’ve had in football,” Moon said. “We’ve all been here together for 12 years, but it’s a new chapter and we’re ready for it.”

After the seniors left the auditorium, the juniors came down and took their spot among the first several reserved rows.

Moon’s message to them and future senior classes is to keep their head down no matter what.

“Hard work always pays off,” Moon said.

Senior classes come and go each year, but the 2017 group appears to be one that will have a place in the memory of residents for quite some time.

“We’ve always said from day one that we’re going to strive to be the best academically and in sports,” Moon said. “It makes me feel accomplished.”