Rodney Mahone: Celebrating 40 years of Page One excellence

On Tuesday night, the Ledger-Enquirer will honor 186 outstanding seniors from 18 high schools in our Chattahoochee Valley circulation area during the annual Page One Awards at the River Center for the Performing Arts.

We are celebrating 40 years for this spectacular and uplifting event that showcases the best and brightest local education has to offer. In addition to the amazing students, we will also honor 13 remarkable teachers who have set the standard for excellence in their field.

More than 7,000 local students and teachers have received recognition from the Ledger-Enquirer for their scholarship, achievements and service to others since the Page One Awards program began 40 years ago. This year, approximately $19,000 in cash awards will be given on the night of the show; bringing the 40-year total to over $534,000.

It's important to note that the Page One Awards program is entirely voluntary. Principals and headmasters at participating schools are asked to designate the most outstanding senior in each of 13 categories ranging from technology to citizenship. The students then are put through their paces in an interview session before a panel of judges. This year, 39 local leaders in business, politics, music, athletics, education, journalism and medicine critiqued the students. The judges look for records of scholarship, leadership, service and character.

The program comes to a rousing conclusion Tuesday at the River Center. All awards will be announced during the ceremony; winners do not receive advance notice. An overall Page One winner and a Runner-up will be announced in each of the categories. The process for naming the Sara Spano Top Teacher Award is similar to the student program. The group of teachers will be narrowed down to one Sara Spano Top Teacher Award and two runner-up awards.

All of us at the Ledger-Enquirer are proud to be a part of this program. We know it has had a positive impact on the lives of the honorees over the years, and we look forward to this night all year. I am delighted to announce that again this year our presenting sponsor for the Page One Awards is Columbus Regional Health. We are thankful for their generous support and contribution.

We invite you to join us at the River Center for the Performing Arts at 7 p.m. on Tuesday night to witness the incredible accomplishments of these outstanding students and teachers. You won't go home disappointed.

This story was originally published May 2, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Rodney Mahone: Celebrating 40 years of Page One excellence."