A proud Riverbank High School principal welcomed family, friends and students themselves to the Academic Block R awards hosted recently on campus.

Dr. Sean Richey recognized that 84 RHS students were to receive their awards, a new record high in the 50-year history of the school. And he said he was impressed with the large audience that came out to celebrate the accomplishment.

He told the crowd that the awards went to students achieving a 3.7 GPA or higher in their studies. Over the course of a high school career, he said, students can receive the award as many as seven times and a few recipients achieved that honor.

Teachers, coaches and administrators each approached the podium to present their groups, from one to four students each.

The program listed both the groups and their presenters along with pages of student profiles, which included the student’s target college and target career along with either an inspiring quotation or a person who had motivated them to achieve.

Target careers ranged from entering the Marine Corps and serving their country to attending CSU and UC campuses to private colleges, pursuing medicine to law to physical education to writing to photography to engineering to finances.

When the awards were completed, the room was filled with families and groups of friends posing for photos before adjourning to the gym lobby to enjoy some refreshments, provided by the Bruins Boosters group.

With just a couple of weeks left in the semester, graduation for Riverbank High School is scheduled for Friday, May 25.