2026 Annual Honors Banquet

On April 23, DHS held its annual Honors Banquet, where juniors and seniors are recognized for their academic efforts from this school year. 59 juniors and 50 seniors were recognized for honor roll and golden honor roll status.

Each year, the DHS cafeteria staff prepares a gourmet meal for community members, faculty, and staff, as well as the honored students and their parents. After dinner, the presentation began with Mrs. Rogers welcoming those in attendance. Savannah Johnson, a 2011 DHS graduate, was the keynote speaker for the event. Following Johnson's speech, honor roll students were recognized and awarded plaques for their accomplishment.

In addition to honor roll status, 21 students were recognized as members of the DHS ACT 30+ club, which requires students to achieve a composite score of 30 or higher on their ACT. These bright young students were rewarded with a small gift for this academic high score.

Bailey Nolen was recognized as a National Merit Finalist, which requires a student to be in the top 1% for their SAT score. Approximately 1.5 million students applied, and fewer than 15,000 receive this distinction.

Trojan Scholars - those scoring highest using a formula calculating GPA and ACT score - were named. This formula determines the school's valedictorian, and all others with this honor are named salutatorian. The Trojan Scholars for the class of 2026 were Chloe Baker, Shelby Gullett, Judi-Kaye Justice, Ann Thomas Lowery, Elizabeth Lemons, and Bailey Nolen. The student with the highest score in this calculation is named valedictorian, a distinction earned by Bailey Nolen.

Congratulations to all of the students who were honored for the academic prowess.