COAL GROVE — Dawson-Bryant High School seniors pulled in a record amount in scholarships this year hitting the $1.3 million mark.

“Some kids got athletic scholarship and a lot of kids qualified for academic scholarships,” Dean Mader, high school principal, said. “Some are going away to some pretty prestigious colleges.”

And a number are planning on taking advantage of the college opportunities here at home by attending Ohio University Southern.

That’s what Emily Morgan plans to do studying special education, after taking an introduction to teaching program. With it, she interned at Open Door School, part of the board of developmentally disabilities.

“I fell in love with the kids,” she said.

Now her goal is to complete the program and join the staff at Open Door.

Both Brook Blakeman and Natalee Sizemore are heading to OUS to study nursing, after working in the biomedical STEM program at Dawson-Bryant.

“I like helping people,” Blakeman said.

Sizemore was inspired to enter nursing from her stepmother’s work as a nurse.

“I’m excited to go to college,” she said.

There were 77 graduating on Sunday afternoon from Dawson-Bryant with 19 honor graduates. Following opening remarks by Steve Easterling, superintendent, Morgan Harrison, senior class vice president, addressed those gathered in the high school gym. Scholarship winners were acknowledged followed by the presentation of diplomas by Mader.

This graduation was a change of pace for Mader, who took over the role of principal this past fall after his tenure teaching 10th grade history.

“It is a new experience,” he said. “I had them all in class or coaching. I’ve had them in a lot of different venues. It is a good group.”