Courier Scholar Athlete

Kerby Gray

Gray graduated ranked third in his class while playing both golf and soccer. He believes he was successful because he was able to focus on both areas. “I had to focus on athletics, but I put academics above everything else,” he said. “It was pretty difficult, but I studied a lot.”

Gray will attend the University of Tennessee at Martin in the fall, and he wants to major in biology and eventually become a pharmacist. He was named the Defender of the Year in soccer as a senior. He was a Boys State delegate as a junior, and he won second for his Pickwick Electric Cooperative essay.

Gray earned success while taking honors courses and was named a Distinguished Scholar. He also earned a six-year plaque at the AHS academic banquet because he was on the honor roll every year he was at the school.

While participating in sports, Gray was also a member of the National Spanish Honor Society, the Beta Club, and HOSA. He is the son of Bob and Debbie Gray.

Stephanie Combs

Combs graduated as her class’s valedictorian while playing both soccer and softball. She won numerous awards for both academics and athletics. She was named Student of the Year for anatomy and physiology, HOSA, the math department, the foreign language department, health science, and the career and technical department. Combs was also selected for the school’s Hall of Fame.

Combs was named All-District and All-Tournament in soccer for her senior season. While in high school, Combs was an active member in HOSA, the Beta Club, the National Technical Honor Society, the National Art Honor Society, and the National Spanish Honor Society.

Despite her extremely busy schedule, Combs truly enjoyed her high school years. “With time management, dedication, and determination, it isn’t easy, but it also is far from hard,” she commented of her success.

She plans to attend the University of Tennessee at Knoxville in the fall. She will major in biomedical engineering, and plans to become either an engineer or a pediatric oncologist. Her parents are Greg and Ann Combs.