SALISBURY — At its Senior Gala, the Crosby Scholars program celebrated its second graduating class of 185 Rowan-Salisbury Schools seniors.

During their time as Crosby Scholars, the students provided the community over 9,300 hours of volunteer service and participated in 875 hours of academy workshops. As seniors, they received one-on-one college advising and assistance with the college application process.

The students — 38 percent of whom will be the first in their families to go to college — will attend 50 different colleges and universities in the fall, spanning eight states.

A highlight of the afternoon was keynote speaker Anthony Johnson’s message to the seniors. Johnson, North Carolina’s Southwest Regional Teacher of the Year, shared his story of perseverance and determination to reach his goals in education.

After the speech, each Crosby Scholar in attendance was invited to walk across the stage as their name and choice of college were announced. Each scholar received an honor cord from a Crosby Scholar director that they will wear at graduation.

In 2016, a scholarship honoring Paul Fisher’s passion for education was created through the partnership of Crosby Scholars and F&M Bank. This year, the Paul Fisher family added the Sue P. Fisher Community Service Award scholarship, created for a senior who exemplifies leadership and perseverance.

A total of $11,800 was awarded to the Class of 2017. The scholarship awards and recipients are:

• Michael McDuffie Scholarships: Austin Kirkman, Ariel Watkins, Henderson Lentz, Charles Langlais, Connor Henderson and Deaizha Phillips.
• Joyce Kohfeldt Determination Award: Maixe Vang, Paola Rivera and Conrad Shugart.
• John Carter Memorial Scholarship: Maixe Vang.
• John O. Reynolds Memorial Scholarship: Rebecca Beaver.
• Goodwill Willpower Scholarship: Charles Langlais.
• Mona Lovett Executive Director Scholarship: Keelee Morgan.
• Paul Fisher Scholarship: Andrea Garrido-Lecca.
• Sue Fisher Community Service Scholarship: Conrad Shugart.

Livingstone College’s culinary arts department provided a dessert buffet for the gathering at West End Plaza. The event concluded with remarks by Executive Director Jennifer Canipe thanking the seniors for their involvement in the Crosby Scholars program and wishing them the best as they graduate and pursue college.

The Crosby Scholars program, in its fifth year in Rowan County, has enrolled more than 4,000 students and will open enrollment for the 2017-18 school year on Aug. 15. All sixth- through 10th grade Rowan-Salisbury students are eligible to apply for this free program.