The annual Paducah Bank Teen of the Week series returns Tuesday with even more stories to share about the many talented high school seniors in the area.

Throughout the 2021-22 school year, The Paducah Sun will recognize 32 seniors as Teen of the Week and write about them for a scholarship program, sponsored by Paducah Bank. These stories highlight a student’s various accomplishments, goals and career aspirations as they prepare to graduate.

The Teen of the Week stories will be published each week on Tuesday through next spring. It’s a competitive program that received more than 75 nominations during the last school year. The nominations came from guidance counselors or administrators from 11 area public and private schools.

At the end of the school year, a selection committee will meet and name one of the 32 Teen of the Week honorees as the Paducah Bank Teen of the Year, which comes with a $5,000 scholarship. The 2020-21 recipient was Morgan Guess, who graduated from McCracken County High School.
 

The committee also will select a second senior who will receive the Inspiration Award and a $1,000 scholarship. Paducah Tilghman High School’s Jake Taylor was named the Inspiration Award recipient for 2020-21.

There is no set criteria for who makes a Teen of the Week, but many factors are considered for recognition, including academics, extracurricular activities, community involvement, resiliency, employment and leadership.

The Sun is currently accepting nominations for Teen of the Week and will do so through Feb. 15, 2022. The first Teen of the Week honoree for this school year will be announced in next Tuesday’s edition. For more information about the program, seniors may contact their guidance counselor at school.