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NCSS's top students honored
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Alcovy High School's top seniors - photo by Darrell Everidge

In the 2013-14 school year, ten wasn’t enough.

What is normally a celebration of the top 10 students from each Newton County High School, became a chance to honor 32 students at Eastside High School Tuesday night.

Each year since 1965, the Rotary Club of Covington has honored the top 10 students, when there was Newton County High, R.L. Cousins School and then Newton County Comprehensive High School, before Eastside and then Alcovy high schools were added.

The 49th version of the top 10 highlighted almost three dozen students, and 25 of their favorite teachers from the Newton County School System being honored by the Covington Rotary Club.

Alcovy and Newton high schools each had 11 students honored, because of a tie in the rankings, which measured the senior classes highest grade point averages.

“Today we host three high schools and a college and career academy,” said Rotarian Keith Adams, the evening’s master of ceremonies. “What was once a ceremony honoring the county’s top 10 seniors is now a ceremony honoring the county’s top 32 seniors.

Alcovy’s top 11 are (in alphabetical order) Justin Adams, Morgan Beshears, Maya Brooks, Emily Bryans, Adam Johnson, Riley Koontz, Waneshia Morris, Lesley Ochei, Kentra Smith , Ashton Stewart and Victoria Wardlow. The Tigers’ students’ favorite teachers are Mindy Alexander, Kelly Musgrove, Amanda Briggs, Marcia Watkins, Jennifer Camba, Kelsey Allen, Scott Rains, Suzanne Stokes, Karen Booth and Matthew Talmage.

Eastside’s top 10 students are Ashlyn Bartello, Benjamin Bohannon, Amanda Bolen, Marquez Harris, Taylor Heilesen, Quintin Murphy, Jasper Narvil, Samuel Stewart, Kimberly Stier and Kolyse Wagstaff. Eric Adams was named favorite teachers for Eastside seven times. Joining him is Michael Poor, Shannon Lawrence and Alan Fowler.

Newton’s top 11 students are Gloria Alafe, Antonio Alvarez, Brendan Brown, Ifeoma Egbulem, Jeffrey Fallah, Sierra Fleming, Kenquavius McCollum, Kyana Morris, Vitaliy Semenikhin, Kaitlyn Smith and Richelle St. Louis. Newton’s top student’s favorite teachers are Jacob Vuiller, Diana Brown, Laurin Blanks, Kia James, Evern Williams, Karina Grewe, Millicent Drane, Jason Smith, George Miles, Irina Ebert and Paige Meakins.

“The students honored here tonight are the best of the best,” Newton County School System Superintendent Samantha Fuhrey said. “They represent all that’s good about our schools system and community. They have choices to do other things, yet they sit here before you as a top 10 students in their schools.”