The academic year in Lawrence County comes to a close this week, and events are being held by schools, like South Point’s Party on the Hill and Fairland West’s End of Year Celebration, to mark the completion and to reward students for their achievements.

This year saw Lawrence County students grab headlines in many forms, such as Fairland High School’s boys basketball team making it to the state semi-finals.

And while sports excite the public and serve a positive purpose, it’s important to also recognize academic and extracurricular achievement in other forms — for instance, Symmes Valley High student Caity Lybrand, who was honored for her volunteer work by President Barack Obama.

South Point High school’s Quiz Bowl team won the county tournament, while Rock Hill Middle School student Karlie Fleeman won the county spelling bee.

Two Lawrence County students, Danielle Leonard of Ironton Elementary and Hannah McKenzie of South Point Middle School, qualified for and competed in the district spelling bee after winning at their respective schools.

Chesapeake schools won big at the county science fair, with two of their students, Andrew Davis and Elijah Snyder, taking the top spots in their category.

After the county event, eight Lawrence County students would go on from the district fair to win a “superior” ranking for their projects at the state fair.

While six Lawrence County natives, both current students and 2016 graduates, will take part in Drum Corps International competitions this summer.

The achievements of these students show that students in the region have a wide range of skills and abilities, and we commend them for their efforts.