GCPS Class of 2022:

Gwinnett seniors prepare for graduation  

Graduation is right around the corner for more than 13,300 potential Gwinnett graduates, the culmination of 13 years of hard work during their K-12 academic careers, including three years affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s high school seniors make up the school district’s largest graduating class to date.

 “Congratulations to the GCPS class of 2022. You are a special group of young adults, and I am so excited for what the future holds because of you,” says Dr. Calvin J. Watts, superintendent of Gwinnett County Public Schools. “Graduation from high school marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. It is one step on your journey, a journey that will continue to be defined by your choices and shaped by your core values. And it is such an honor for me to celebrate this achievement with you. I look forward to all that you will do for our community and for our world.”

The senior report for the Class of 2022 shows that:

• After graduation, 77% of the students have plans to continue their education by attending college or postsecondary schools. The vast majority of graduates, or 85%, plan to attend college in Georgia.
• These seniors have been offered, as of April 2022, more than $185.7 million in academic, athletic, and military scholarships.
• The majority of the scholarship amount, more than $127.5 million, was earned for academic achievement. Gwinnett students also received more than $54.6 million in athletic scholarships, and $3.5 million in scholarships tied to service academy appointments. These monetary awards do not include including HOPE awards (typically, about a third of graduates), and National Merit Scholars.
• The Class of 2022 also includes 4,237 Honor Graduates, who are graduating with a grade percent average of 90 or better.
• More than half of our seniors—6,866—experienced the challenge and rigor of college-level Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses during high school, with more than half (3,496) of those students earning a 3 or better (5-point scale) on optional AP exams to earn college credit or advanced placement in college classes.
• Another group getting a head start on college? The 1,521 Gwinnett grads who participated in the state’s dual-enrollment program, earning both high school and college credit.
• More than 1,850 students will enter the workforce after high school, many armed with credentials and certificates earned through our career and technical education programs and sought after by local employers. Students graduating from the district’s Academy high schools—Berkmar, Central Gwinnett, Discovery, Lanier, Meadowcreek, Shiloh, and South Gwinnett—complete high school with valuable exposure to college majors of interest and experience in potential careers.
• Mill Creek High graduates the largest class this year, closely followed by Brookwood High, and North Gwinnett High.
• A group of 33 high-achieving Gwinnett seniors earned a full scholarship through the QuestBridge National College Match program. Of the 16 Gwinnett schools with QuestBridge scholarship recipients, Archer High School had the most with five. College Match Scholarship Recipients are admitted early to QuestBridge college partners with guaranteed, full four-year scholarships that are provided by QuestBridge’s 48 college partners, including top liberal arts colleges and exceptional research universities.
• A Dacula High senior, Micah Petit-Bois, is among the nation’s 300 Gates Scholarship recipients for 2022. Funded by The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, this last-dollar scholarship funds the full cost of attendance that is not already covered by other financial aid and the expected family contribution for high-potential, low-income minority students. It also provides support to Scholars by engaging with them and their institutions in ways to ensure they have access to the resources and services they need, from their first to last day of classes, through graduation and the transition to their chosen careers.
• Seven Gwinnett graduating seniors earned full rides as Posse Scholars. Founded in 1989, the Posse Foundation identifies public high school students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential who may be overlooked by traditional college selection processes. Posse extends to these students the opportunity to pursue personal and academic excellence by placing them in supportive, multicultural teams—Posses— of 10 students. Partner colleges and universities award four-year, full-tuition leadership scholarships to Posse Scholars.
• Gwinnett grads continue to answer the call to military service. Nine Gwinnett seniors accepted appointments to one of the nation’s military service academies. A total of 356 seniors will serve their country through military service after graduation, including cadets who honed their leadership skills in Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) units available at 14 GCPS high schools. Those earning academy appointments include:

Archer High: Bryson Rylander—United States Naval Academy

Brookwood High: William Smith—United States Military Academy at West Point (Army)

Duluth High: Myles Hall—United States Naval Academy

Mill Creek High: Brendan Brannock—United States Military Academy at West Point (Army), and Kathryn Scales—United States Military Academy at West Point (Army)

Mountain View High: Kyle Hennelly—United States Merchant Marine Academy, and Diego Martinez—United States Military Academy at West Point (Army)

Parkview High: Ethan Davis—United States Naval Academy, and

Joshua Kim—United States Air Force Academy

Gwinnett County Public Schools also salutes the highest-ranked students in each school based on their GPA, those earning the title of valedictorian or salutatorian.

They are:

School	Valedictorian (1st in Class)	Salutatorian (2nd in Class)
Archer HS	Said Gomez	Grace Ajibola
Berkmar HS	Lily Truong	Jesus Sierra, Jr.
Brookwood HS	Jennifer Le	Arish Lalani
Central Gwinnett HS	Young Huu Bui	Michelle Ung
Collins Hill HS	Irene Park	Diya Mehta
Dacula HS	Leynie Hester	Alexia Toma
Discovery HS	Miles “Jesse” Chippindale	Jayson Fong
Duluth HS	An Vu	Albert Grant Espy
Grayson HS	Koosha Maleknia	Tien Tran
Gwinnett Online  Campus	Nicholas Lezama	Lillie Rolader
Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology	Samad Hakani	Naman Tellakula
Lanier HS	Jake Cranor	Faith Mani
McClure Health Science HS	Anamika Sharif	Elizabeth Garcia
Meadowcreek HS	Yahya Habib	Thanh (Randy) Chi Bui
Mill Creek HS	Aria Jasper	Fabricio Pena Damoni
Mountain View HS	Grant Baumann	Joshua E. Buchsbaum
Norcross HS	Madison Berenguer	William Jordan
North Gwinnett HS	Julia Park	Ellie Park
Parkview HS	Andy Zhu	Daphney Talekar
Paul Duke STEM HS	Elijah Rabinovich	Noah Budnitz
Peachtree Ridge HS	Christine Ao	Chungin Lee
Shiloh HS	Kaamya Mehra	Zahria Burke
South Gwinnett HS	Scott-Anthony Ray	Ashley Calderon

The graduation ceremonies for Gwinnett’s Class of 2022 will take place as follows:

School	Date	Time	Location
Phoenix	May 23	10:30 a.m.	Lawrenceville Arts Center
Lanier	May 25	3:00 p.m.	Gas South Arena
McClure Health Science	May 25	5:00 p.m.	Gas South Exhibit Halls C/D
Central Gwinnett	May 25	7:00 p.m.	Central Gwinnett Stadium
South Gwinnett	May 25	8:00 p.m.	Gas South Arena
Brookwood	May 25	8:00 p.m.	Brookwood Stadium
Mill Creek	May 25	8:00 p.m.	Mill Creek Community Stadium
Parkview	May 25	8:00 p.m.	Parkview Community Stadium
Collins Hill	May 26	8:30 a.m.	Gas South Arena
Discovery	May 26	2:00 p.m.	Gas South Arena
Duluth	May 26	7:30 p.m.	Gas South Arena
Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science, and Technology	May 26	6:00 p.m.	Gas South Exhibit Halls C/D
Gwinnett Online Campus	May 26	7:00 p.m.	Gwinnett Online Campus
Shiloh	May 27	8:30 a.m.	Gas South Arena
Paul Duke STEM	May 27	10:00 a.m.	Gas South Exhibit Halls C/D
Dacula	May 27	2:00 p.m.	Gas South Arena
Archer	May 27	7:30 p.m.	Gas South Arena
Mountain View	May 28	8:30 a.m.	Gas South Arena
Norcross	May 28	2:00 p.m.	Gas South Arena
Berkmar	May 28	7:30 p.m.	Gas South Arena
Meadowcreek	May 29	2:00 p.m.	Gas South Arena
Grayson	May 29	7:00 p.m.	Gas South Arena
North Gwinnett	May 30	8:30 a.m.	Gas South Arena
Peachtree Ridge	May 30	2:00 p.m.	Gas South Arena

Families and friends can live stream graduation ceremonies. Find more information here: https://www.gcpsk12.org/Page/32706