The Academy of Finance held their senior banquet on May 1^st at the Debary Golf and Country Club for a final celebration. After a few years, the Academy broke away from the S.T.E.M Academy and stopped sharing a banquet with them in the cafeteria.

“It was nice to be somewhere real fancy because it just made us feel like we are in a financial situation where we can do that,” senior Carl Mohr said.

As people were finishing dinner, Academy Director Mrs. Flowers and Prior Academy Director Mr. Roeshink prepared their speeches to their graduating students. Nobody in the banquet hall had a dry eye as the teachers said their thank you’s to the students and parents.

“The best part was when Mrs. Flowers was giving her speech to all of us,” senior Anthony Pearsall said.  “I’ve had her for most of the academy years and I knew her the best so it was more sentimental.”

More tears were shed when Launch announced the winners of their $500 scholarship. This year Launch awarded three scholarships rather than the two they normally give away. The scholarship was given to two student interns at the bank on campus and one student in the academy. Senior Allyson Murdock, senior Sabrina Gutierrez, and senior Lizbeth Alverez Marrero were awarded the scholarship from their well written essays.

“I was surprised when I got the scholarship and I cried,” Marrero said. “My mom wasn’t expecting that and she was really proud of me and my sister thought the money was for her.”

With high spirits from receiving awards and scholarships, Academy students joined Mrs. Flowers in a conga line to the dance floor. The dance floor was full of students for some of Mr. Roeshink’s song choices,  but towards the end, the students decided the carpet surrounding the dance floor was the place to be. Special guests joined students on the dance floor as Roeshink played his re-edition of the Cha Cha Slide.

“We did the Cotton Eye Joe and watching all these girls in heels clicking their feet was the funniest thing ever,” Murdock said. “Macie who is Jessica’s daughter was there dancing also and it was so much fun.”

The night celebration came to an end as the seniors took group pictures with each other and with Flowers and Roeshink. Hugs and tears were shared as the moment dawned on them that this was their last celebration with their academy and they were graduating in a month.

“My favorite part was being together and having a celebration about making it through these four years together,” senior Kayla Hartmann said.

The academy students grew close as they shared many memories from their four years of classes together and that night they celebrated. The banquet brought the Academy students together to make final memories to take with them as they follow their career into college.