Marshall High School senior Daly Kruger was named the Language Arts Senior of the Year at MHS’s honors assembly on Tuesday. The assembly recognized a wide variety of achievements, from seniors graduating with honors, to the top academic achievers in grades 9-11.

MARSHALL — Marshall High School students were gathered in the gym – not for a sporting event, but to celebrate academic achievements.

“This assembly is unlike our usual pep fests. It’s a moment to celebrate the outstanding academic achievement of your fellow classmates,” said MHS Principal Brian Jones, as he welcomed the crowd to the assembly.

On Tuesday, MHS students, faculty and parents attended the school’s annual Honors Assembly. The event not only recognized seniors graduating with honors, but students who were excelling in grades 9-11, as well as recipients of honors like the AAA and ExCEL Awards.

“Being a great student is hard work,” said MHS social studies teacher and Honor Society advisor Rick Purrington. “It takes more than just intelligence. It requires grit, discipline, perseverance and resilience. Today we will celebrate excellence in the classroom.”

Among the awards presented at the assembly included colored tassels designating members of the MHS class of 2024 who were graduating with honors, stoles for senior members of the MHS Honor Society, and awards for academic honors in students in grades 9-11. Students in each grade who had achieved a 4.0 or higher grade point average were called up to receive an academic “Summa Cum Laude” recognition.

New Honor Society members were also officially inducted into the group during the assembly. Later in the program, members of the Honor Society presented Activities Achievement awards for the top 10 students who committed to multiple extracurricular activities while still maintaining their GPA.

Several individual awards were also presented at the assembly. MHS junior Jack Gunn received the James Hall Award.

“The James Hall Award is the oldest award at Marshall High School,” said presenter Jaina Dekker. The award is given to members of the senior and junior classes who showed high levels of qualities like loyalty, leadership and cooperation, in addition to scholarship and participation in school activities.

Presenters said two of the most prestigious awards at MHS were the AAA and ExCEL awards. The Minnesota State High School League’s ExCEL Award is presented to high school juniors who are active in school activities, are positive leaders and have a strong record of community services. This year’s ExCEL recipients at MHS are Josh Leibfried and Ali Pederson.

The MSHSL AAA Award is presented to senior boys and girls who demonstrate excellence in academics, activities and the arts. This year’s MHS recipients of the award are Austin Dunn and Kennedy Drake.

MHS faculty also presented Senior of the Year awards to outstanding students in each of the school’s academic departments. Seniors of the Year include Mallory Evans in agriculture; Lydia Weverka in art; Leah Legatt in business; Cesar Guzman Moreno in English language learning; Ramara Reinert in family and consumer science; Daly Kruger in language arts; Claire Allen in math; Jocelyn Schlenner in music; Ian Meulebroeck in physical education; Rylee Jacobson in science; Hser Tha Kpaw Htoo in social studies; and Kaitlynn DeVos in world languages.