By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

Every year, Pelham High School counselor Amanda Waldrup feels a mixture of joy and sadness as she watches the students she has worked with for a year walk across the stage at the Pelham Civic Complex.

Waldrup knows the students walking across the stage are moving on to the next steps in their lives, but she also knows she may never see some of the students again.

“You really do get close to the kids, because you work so personally with them during the year,” Waldrup said. “I will say that it is bittersweet to see them graduate.”

This year, Waldrup helped the PHS class of 2011 secure nearly $4 million in scholarship offers from businesses, organizations and colleges from all over the country. A total of 119 PHS students earned scholarships, awards and honors this year.

The scholarship amount was about the same as it was last year, but the impact of the students’ success strikes Waldrup the same each year.

“It’s always exciting to see the kids’ achievements each year,” she said.

One of the most exciting times of the year for Waldrup and her students comes near the May 1 deadline to sign college scholarships.

“One of the most exciting things for me is when a student makes a decision about what college they will attend. Especially if they have several choices,” Waldrup said. “After the May 1 deadline, we have a T-shirt day where the kids wear T-shirts to represent their colleges. It’s really an exciting time.”

The following is a list of PHS graduates who earned scholarships, awards and honors from businesses, organizations and higher-learning institutions:

-Rachel Luise Abel

-Kathryn Courtney Allen

-Sarah Margaret Banasiewicz

-Taylor Danielle Bartlett

-Gentry Paige Bass,

-Jessica Taylor Bird

-Matthew Connor Boyle

-Jordan Alexander Brooks

-Christopher Scott Brown

-Claudia Ruth Brown

-James Brannon Camel

-Bridget Caitlyn Carlile

-Jennifer Chongping Chang

-Sunny Chungping Chang

-Ashley Lashelle Clark

-Brandon Powers Clark

-Jasmine Sierra Cooper

-Gisela Cortes Alvarez

-Haley Marie Davenport

-Margaret Clar Deason-Coughlin

-Haley Alexus Dickson

-Jodi Meagan Doss

-Connor Scott Douglas

-Philip Michael Dublin

-Adam Corley Elliott

-Samantha Lynn Ellis

-Davis Bryant Faught

-Matthew Thomas Finney

-Trevor Glen Fitts

-James Jeffrey Flaniken

-Kayla Renee Ford

-Byron Nicholas Foster

-Sadie Kathryn Foster

-Raymond Christopher Foushee

-Jeremy Ryan George

-William Daniel Givan

-Kimberly Brooke Goldman

-Braden Dale Groom

-Kelly Marie Haberstroh

-Seth Manasco Hagan

-Ashton Perry Haley

-George Parks Haley

-Austin Ryne Hancock

-Dominique Stephon Harris

-Kaitlyn Marie Harris

-Adam Rhodes Hauser

-Mallorye Victoria Heaton

-Brian Matthew Hester

-Margaret Andrews Holland

-Christian Colby Holler

-Bradley Schyler Hubbard

-Robert Denson Hulsey

-Taylor Elyse Johnson

-Shannon Elise Kailey

-Michael David Kierspe

-Leslie Marie King

-Benjamin Seth Lansdowne

-Zachary Michael Martin

-Massey, John Pinkney IV

-Jessica Ashley Mays

-Carley Renee McCune

-Heather Nicole McGuirk

-Abby Elizabeth McMillan

-Anna Elizabeth Miller

-Mallory Brooke Mitchell

-David Marcus Jr. Montgomery

-Mitchell Bradley Morris

-Andrea Renesae Mosley

-Angela Sharese Mosley

-Faith Alexandria May Mote

-Casey Jordan Nichols

-Chase Tyler Nordman

-Katie Lillyan O’Brien

-Jamie Elizabeth Olson

-Diana Carolin Padilla Guevara

-Gaines McCary Parker

-Hunter Alan Payant

-Robert Towler Pierce

-Cristian Oscar Pineda Parente

-Jesse Robert Price

-Kaley Nicole Rector

-Graham Robert Reilly

-Rachel Elizabeth Reynolds

-Lauren Michelle Rich

-Elizabeth Rodriguez Roman

-Valerie Glenn Roney

-Bethany Sage Rose

-Hannah Marie Scheub

-Sarah Elizabeth Shannon

-Elsa Rose Sims

-Cameron Park Slane

-Anna Wesley Smith

-David Nathaniel Smith

-Sara Elizabeth Smith

-Tanner Andrew Smith

-Carolyn Tate Speegle

-Clarke Joshua Stackhouse

-Kyle Edward Stringer

-Valerie Marie Taylor

-Nicholas Julian Terrell

-Madilyn Lee Theodoras

-Amber Darleen Thompson

-Mathew Charles Tkacik

-Van Khanh Tong

-Haley Mauree Townsend

-Samantha Rae Travis

-Tyler Jordan Trumbly

-Stefany Yovelinova Tsankova

-Eric James Wallace

-Cody Blake Watlington

-Kayla Jennie Danielle Watson

-Frank Tait Wayland

-Jordan Lindsey Wesson

-Kendall Marie Wesson

-Joshua Bradley Wheeler

-Christa Leigh Williams

-Dominic Cortez Williams

-Maurice DeVonte Wilson Jr.

-Caitlyn Elizabeth Wood