At Bright School's 103rd graduation, 43 fifth graders became alumni and are continuing their educational journeys in middle school. The ceremony included the traditional singing and playing of "Country Gardens" with soprano recorders, autoharps and handbells. Before the ceremony finished, they sang a special tribute to fifth grade teacher Vicki Everett, who retired after teaching at Bright since 1991.

Fifth graders were recognized for academic and athletic achievement and participation in activities. Seventeen fifth graders received the President’s Award for Educational Excellence, which means they achieved a 90 or higher grade average and high scores on national standardized testing.

The Bright School had 17 winners in the Young Southern Student Writers Contest, which is coordinated by the Southern Lit Alliance and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Department of English. Students submitted works of poetry and prose, and the awards ceremony was held last week at the Tivoli Theatre. Two students were honored in both poetry and prose. The area contest has been held since 1999, and this year, there were more than 4,600 submitted works. Awards were given to 500 students in grades kindergarten through 12th.

The Bright School celebrated the cultural heritage of all its families with a special week of activities. Bright families represent more than 20 countries, and the flag of each country is on display at our Guerry International Plaza flag court.