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Smyrna honors students from area schools at Mayor's Education Awards

3027870 ยท April 17, 2025

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Summary

Mayor Derek Norton and school leaders recognized students from more than a dozen Smyrna-area schools for academic and extracurricular achievements at the annual Mayor's Education Awards, highlighting programs such as IB, STEM and PBIS.

At a ceremony in Smyrna, Mayor Derek Norton and school leaders presented the Mayor's Education Awards to students from more than a dozen local schools, celebrating academic achievement, leadership and extracurricular success.

The awards program, hosted by the City of Smyrna and emceed by Mark (program host), brought principals and staff from Argyle Elementary, Belmont Hills Elementary, Campbell High School, Campbell Middle School, International Academy of Smyrna, Greenacres Elementary, King Springs Elementary, Nickajack Elementary, Norton Park Elementary, Russell Elementary, Smyrna Elementary, Teasley Elementary, Saint Benedict Episcopal School and Whitfield Academy to the stage to introduce students chosen by their schools. Mayor Derek Norton said, "This is one of my favorite nights of the year," and thanked families, teachers and first responders for supporting students.

School leaders used the ceremony to note program milestones and school-level data. Vanessa Watkins, principal of Campbell High School, corrected the school's previously cited graduation rate to 88 percent. Whitfield Academy representatives said the school completed a capital campaign and plans a new Learning Commons building, scheduled to open in August 2026. Saint Benedict Episcopal School marked its 15th anniversary and noted a recent robotics competition in which its team won first place in Robot Games and the overall championship. Several public schools highlighted district recognitions: Norton Park and International Academy were named Title I Reward Schools; Nickajack and other schools reported PBIS and STEM certifications.

Presentations were brief and focused on individual student accomplishments; each school introduced three students and took a group photo on stage. The program emphasized community recognition rather than policy or budget decisions. Mayor Norton closed the event by thanking principals, teachers and parents and saying, "We'll see you next year for our mayor's education awards."