It's a big deal each February when National Signing Day rolls around and standout high school football players announce which college team they've chosen.
So why not give some attention to college-bound high school seniors who do well academically?
That was the inspiration behind Bradley Central High School's first-ever "academic signing day" held Monday morning.
Twenty college-bound seniors who each won academic scholarships took turns sitting at a table in the lobby of the new fine-arts building in the high school in Cleveland, Tenn., to have their photos taken while flanked by parents or favorite teachers.
Among them were Seth and Alex Hall, identical twin brothers who sported orange-and-white checkered bow ties. Those are the school colors of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, where they'll each receive a $6,000 annual Volunteer Scholarship, or $24,000 over four years, for their all-A grades and score of 31 on the ACT test, among other financial grants.
And they'll be roommates.
"Might as well," Seth said. "He's been my roommate for all my life."
Other students at the ceremony were heading to Lee University, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Southern Adventist University and the University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y. Six seniors chose Middle Tennessee State University.
"We're definitely going to hang out together," said MTSU-bound Alec Norwood. "We've been best friends since freshman year."
Norwood, who was captain of the high school's bowling team for three years and averages a bowling score of 205, has $2,000 in bowling scholarship money to use when he gets to MTSU.
The Tennessee Higher Education Commission encourages high schools to hold academic signing days, and about 70 are this year in a pilot program, said Kate Derrick, a spokeswoman for the education commission's Gear Up Tennessee initiative.
Participation in academic signing day at Bradley High was voluntary, said Melissa Presswood, a college and career counselor there.
The students' photos will go up in the high school's hallways along with a banner that college-bound students will sign. Since senior graduation is May 9, the seniors probably will be gone before their photos go up, Presswood said, but other students will still be in school.
"They're kind of an inspiration for the younger students," she said. "If so-and-so did it, I can do it, too."
Contact staff writer Tim Omarzu at tomarzu@timesfreepress.com or www.facebook.com/tim.omarzu or twitter.com/TimOmarzu or 423-757-6651.