Busy PJC graduation week capped with highest honor of a student

Published or Revised January 12, 2017

Nominees for the highest student award at Paris Junior College have been selected, with the winner announced during commencement ceremonies at Noyes Stadium at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 13. The 2016 Master Teacher will also be announced during the ceremony. Five outstanding sophomores have been nominated for the Distinguished Service Award this year. They include Cameron Copeland of Longview, Cynthia Johnson of Greenville, Ariannah Kemp of Gainesville, Ashlyn Kennedy of Bogata, and Joel Mutchler of Paris. Other ceremonies at PJC include tonight's GED Graduation at 7 p.m., held by the PJC Adult Education Department. Featured speaker will be Viviana "Vivi" Van Deaver, a native Guatemalan working as a patient advocate at Paris Regional Medical Center and planning to enter graduate school this fall to get a master's degree in nutrition. The event will be in the Ray E. Karrer Theater in the Administration Building. Several award and pinning ceremonies will be held on Thursday, May 12, including the Jewelry Recognition Ceremony in the Ray E. Karrer Theater at 10 a.m. The speaker will be former student Bill Winter, who has worked for many reputable jewelry companies in the 25 years since leaving PJC, including Sterling Jewelers and JCPenney, where he works in the Fine Jewelry Repair Special Service department. Also on May 12, a pinning ceremony will take place at 1 p.m. for those receiving certificates in Surgical Technology and Medical Records Coding in the Workforce Training Center, Room 1202. At 5 p.m., Associate Degree Nursing holds a pinning ceremony at Paris Junior High School’s Weger Auditorium, and at 7 p.m. Vocational Nursing awards pins, also in that venue. PJC Commencement caps the week on Friday at 7 p.m. at Noyes Stadium if the weather is clear or in the Hunt Center if it is rainy. Graduates are expected