CHRIS REID Valedictorian Graduation exercises for 102 LCHS seniors will be held Friday, May 18, at Buddy Bufford Field, beginning at 8 p.m.

A highlight of commencement will be addresses delivered by Valedictorian Chris Reid and Salutatorian Courtney Janssen.

Reid has been in the top five percent of his class throughout high school, serving as an honor usher at commencement exercises last year.

At this year's academic awards ceremony, the gifted scholar won the Senior Math Award and the Senior Technology Award for having the highest cumulative averages in those subject areas. He was likewise designated as a Scholar-Athlete.

Moreover, earlier this spring, Reid was named the STAR Student for the Class of 2007. The STAR Student must be in the top 10 percent of his class and have earned the highest score on the College Board Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).

During his years at LCHS, Reid was a member of the Senior Beta Club, the Spanish Honor Society, the Technology Student Association (TSA), and the literary team. As a sophomore, he won first place in Boys Spelling at the Region 7-A Literary Meet.

COURTNEY JANSSEN Salutatorian He was also a member of the school's golf team. Last year, the team placed eighth in the state.

It comes as no surprise that Reid was selected as one of the seniors "Most Likely to Succeed" by the Class of 2007.

In addition to school, the valedictorian has been employed by H & H Industrial Maintenance, Inc. for a year and a half and is an active member of St. Paul United Methodist Church where he is in charge of the sound equipment.

In his spare time, he enjoys fishing and golfing.

Looking toward the future, Reid plans to attend Augusta State University in the fall and later transfer to Georgia Tech to pursue a major in architectural engineering.

He is the son of Lisa and Chris Reid of Lincolnton.

Salutatorian Courtney Janssen is the daughter of Karen and Ron Janssen.

Like Reid, she has been in the top five percent of her class throughout high school and served as an Honor Usher at commencement exercises last year.

At this year's academic recognition ceremony, Janssen won the Senior Science Award.

During her career at LCHS, the salutatorian was a member of the Senior Beta Club, the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), and the Spanish Honor Society, serving as vice president of the society her junior year.

She was likewise a member of the cast and crew of "Once Upon a Mattress," presented recently by the musical theatre class at LCHS.

In addition, Janssen was voted by her classmates as "Most Likely to Succeed."

During her leisure moments, she enjoys water skiing, knee-boarding, swimming, spending time with her friends, and shopping.

She also works for the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office on a volunteer basis, filing and scanning documents.

As for the future, Janssen plans to attend the University of Georgia and later transfer to the Medical College of Georgia to pursue her dream of becoming a physician.

Along with the addresses delivered by Reid and Janssen, the commencement program will also include welcoming remarks given by Hunter Smith, president of the senior class, and the recognition of scholarship recipients.

Pianist Lynn Gay and the Senior Ensemble, under the direction of choral music teacher Carolee Hobbins, will provide music for the occasion. The ensemble will sing "Whenever You Remember," written by Diane Warren and originally performed by Carrie Underwood.

Honor Graduates for the Class of 2007 are Peyson Moss, Allison McGill, Kelsey Reese, Hunter Smith, Stephanie Schultz, Katelyn Dawkins, Kendall Huff, Tyler Hinson, Megan Saggus.

Tracy Arnett, Kayley Bannister, Brittney Sheppard, Kristen Hudler, Brandon Barden, Jennifer Herrick, Ross Waters, Jaime Turner, James Riley, Carly Holloway, Sarah Fonseca, Tyler Beale.

Hilary Aycock, Alex Bradford, Samone Andrews, Franklin Jones, Coppetta Elam, Kim Norman, Scott Sutherland, Danielle Wynn, Marcus Ferguson, Latricia Price, Tawanna Wright, Darrien West, and Caylor Sandifer.

The following juniors will serve as Honor Ushers for the ceremony: Sara Anne Remsen, Kitty Ball, Janelle Dukes, Kimber Kirkland, Abigail Minor, Whitley Arrowood, Jazmon Dukes.

Julie Bennett, Asonta Johnson, Hannah Crook, Shannon Norman, Tiquila Williams, Kayla Crookham, Kendrick Anthony, Amy Dandron, Nikolas Spens, Emmi Layton, Sarah Herring, Brooke Epps, Taylor Goldman.

Nicole Crook, Will Gay, Christina Tankersley, Amanda Pruitt, Marlena Mason, Austin Goldman, Savannah Crook, Roger Boyle, Elizabeth McKinney, and Amy Boland.

On Sunday, May 13, the seniors were honored at a breakfast held at LCHS.

The welcome was given by Howard Ellis, one of the senior class sponsors, and the invocation was delivered by Rev. Franklin Jones of Freedom Ministries.

The guest speaker for the occasion was Dr. John Norman, a 1983 honor graduate of LCHS, who is now an orthopedic surgeon living in Dalton, Georgia. He is the son of Mickey and Murray Norman of Lincolnton.

The speaker was introduced by Larry Campbell, athletic director and head football coach at LCHS.

In addition to Dr. Norman's inspiring remarks, the seniors and their parents were also treated to a slide show titled "One Last Look," evoking memories of their senior year, produced by LCHS media specialist Jeanie Smith. The audience likewise enjoyed hearing anecdotes about the seniors and their years as students in the Lincoln County School System.

The senior class sponsors are Jeanie Smith, Kevin Banks, Howard Ellis, Marcella Goldman, Carolee Hobbins, Lee Robinson, Kathy Thomas, and LuAnn Beale.