By SHERRY DIGMON
News Publisher
A couple of weeks ago, on Phil Johnson’s early morning radio show, Escambia County High School Principal Dennis Fuqua talked about the school, mentioning among other things the Class of 2019 and the pending scholarship amount that would be announced at Class Day. He didn’t give anything away, saying that he realized of course at some point the records would no longer be set. At some point, the graduating class could not top the year before.
But this was not that year.
The ECHS Class of 2019 earned $8.6 million in scholarships, up from $5.7 million last year.
In 2014, the senior class had $900,000 in scholarships. In 2015, the figure was $1.2 million – the first time to break the million dollar mark.
The number has continued to climb – $1.8 million in 2016; $4.4 million in 2017; $5.7 million in 2018. And $8,672,862 in 2019.
It should be noted that achievement like this doesn’t happen on its own.
Fuqua became principal during the school year in 2014. Ashley Trawick came to the school as counselor in 2016.