At 7:20 p.m. on Monday, every seat in the Vonita White Administration Building was filled with students, parents and teachers. They waited in anticipation for the first recognition to be announced.

President Anthony Hill handed off the mic to Coppell High School cross country coach Nick Benton, who recognized the girls (and boy) who qualified for the state meet.

Qualifiers included sophomore Jimena Benavides, senior Miranda Dickson, freshman Sydney Rowe, junior Ardi Saunders, freshman Shelby Spoor, sophomore Maddie Hulcy, freshmen Izzy Iseley, alternates were sophomore Joni Goh, senior Ashley Scrivner, senior Callie Westervelt and freshman Taylor Peltier.

The only boy to make the trip to state was senior Alan Huo, who qualified as an individual.

“Even though there’s only one boy up here, there’s been a very great group of guys behind me, who have supported me for four years,” Huo said. “Really without them, I would not be standing here right now.”

Next, three CISD schools were recognized as National Schools of Character: Denton Creek Elementary, Cottonwood Creek Elementary and Pinkerton Elementary.

Turning the focus back to CHS, next to be recognized was Coppell Band, who qualified and competed at the 2016 Marching Band State Competition.

The band’s four drum majors, senior Kyle Whiting, senior Sam Wang, senior Rishav Rout and junior Ashna Pathan, were called up to represent the program.

“It was really an amazing experience to be able to serve as a drum major this year,” Whiting said. “I wouldn’t have traded it for the world.”

Next to be recognized were winners 2016 Association of Texas Photography Instructors State Contest, sophomore Lilli Brummitt, senior Megan Brownrigg, senior Erin Dempsey, junior Alli Feille, sophomore Sara Kim and junior Maddie Wells.

“It’s really been an honor and a blessing to be alongside these girls as contest winners and on the [Round-Up] yearbook staff, because we all learned our talents,” Feille said. “We’ve become a family.”

KCBY-TV was the final group to stand up at the front of the room, and were recognized for their 2016 Lone Star Emmy Award awarded by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for Best Newscast and Best Light News.

Recognized alongside adviser Irma Kennedy were the four program directors – senior Autumn Jones, senior Blake Snawder, senior MaryKathryn Ferguson and senior Jack Dalrymple.

“We always try to have the best segments for each and every one of our shows, this one in particular was Genius Hour at Cottonwood Creek,” Jones said. “KCBY is a way for us to tell those stories and reach out to the community on a big scale.”

To view Monday’s meeting, go here.