PCHS Bulletin – Amelia Capellan
Date Published - April 17, 2026
The Golden Herald award ceremony took place on April 9 at the SCF Neel Performing Arts Center. 29 seniors from Parrish Community High School were in attendance to earn recognition for their achievements in their respective categories.
Not only was this the highest number of students recognized at PCHS, but PCHS had more nominees than any other school in the county.
Biology Teacher and Golden Herald Advisor Alec Woodruff said he is very proud of the students for being part of this year's scholarship process.
“They have been working hard not only this past year but during all four years of high school to build a resume worthy of this honor,” said Woodruff.
The winners of each category receive a Golden Herald Medallion, a trophy, and a $2,000 cash prize. Honorable Mentions also receive a trophy and a $1,000 cash prize.
Winners:
Avery Scribner - Business
Anna Kennedy - Music
Maya Uralil - Speech
Honorable Mentions:
Sophie Ward - Art
Vanessa Marasco - Athletics
Leila Payne - Computer & Technology
Mia Trahan - English & Literature
Scribner is proud of her achievement. She said, “It's been a lot of years of hard work to get to where I am today, and I wouldn't have been able to do it without my advisor Mr. Mefford.”
Scribner was also proud of her ability to connect with the judges. She said, “I didn't really prepare for my interview. Instead, I went in and had a real, genuine conversation with my judges and I think we really connected.”
Scribner said the hardest part of the process was “trusting yourself, what you’ve done, and doing the whole process with confidence.”
Additionally, she shared advice for future students hoping to participate in Golden Herald or other scholarships.
“My advice would be to say yes to hard things and do not go in with a mindset of fear. All you have to do is talk about the accomplishments you have already made, so the hard part is really over,” said Scribner.
Golden Herald recognizes 16 categories. Each school can submit two candidates in each category. Students complete an application and participate in an interview in front of a panel of judges before the awards ceremony.
The following students completed this process:
Art - Jasmine Cornwell and Sophia Ward
Athletics - Vanessa Marasco and Ana Martinez-Montanez
Business - Cheney Morris and Avery Scribner
Computer/Technology - Leila Payne and Vimianchan Thach
Citizenship - Kelton Hardee and Mia Polseno
Drama - Jovie Gaddis and Hailey Lipham
English Literature - Isabella Taillefer and Mia Trahan
Foreign Language - Gabriella Pena and Camila Quintero
General Scholarship - Natalie Fellows and Alyssa Little
Journalism - Alyse Renda
Math - Ailani Maximo-Beltran and Anna Kennedy
Music - Lena Zielinska
Science - Kaylin Kitchens and Anusha Uralil
Social Science - Aiden Patterson and Ryder Spisak
Speech - Maya Uralil
Vocational - Katherine Sheffer and Emma Spivey