Knoch High School math teacher Sam Frishkorn, left, air hugs graduate Sam Blair during the school's Top 10 Dinner Tuesday. Blair plans to major in mechanical and aerospace engineering at West Virginia University. The top ten graduates in the Class of 2020 invited their favorite teachers to the event.

JEFFERSON TWP — The 10 students with the highest grade point averages celebrated their achievement on Tuesday in the open air.

While most important senior activities like prom and graduation have been canceled or postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Knoch High School Principal Todd Trofimuk decided to hold the annual Top 10 Dinner, albeit in a different way.

Normally a fancier affair held each year at the Springfield Grille in Adams Township, the dinner this year was more like a picnic.

Held at a pavilion in Laura Doerr Memorial Park, each of the top students was given the opportunity to invite their favorite teacher in the South Butler County School District to the event.

Warm breezes delighted the students and their instructors, who enjoyed a catered meal donated by the Lyndora Hotel and dessert donated by Main Street Bakery in Saxonburg.

“We tried to do what we normally do, but since we can't do that, we'll do what we can,” Trofimuk said of the picnic.He explained that he determines the top 10 GPAs at the end of the third marking period each year, calls the students to his office to congratulate them, and asks them to choose a teacher to accompany them who has had a great impact on their education at South Butler.Howard Hunt chose Knoch High physics teacher Laurel Nickles, whom he has had for two classes.“She's more than a teacher,” Howard said. “I can go to her and talk about other classes.”No one is more surprised than Howard that he landed in the top 10 at Knoch.“I am very happy, because I didn't think I was going to be (in the top 10) for the first 10 years of school,” he said.Howard, who will attend Virginia Tech in the fall to study computer engineering, appreciated Trofimuk making the effort to honor the achievements of the school's top 10 seniors.

“It's not conventional, but it's a good way of doing it,” he said. (Being a 2020 graduate) has been strange, but it's kind of cool to be different.”Madison Gumto said she is honored to be among the top 10 in the Knoch High senior class because it recognizes all the students' hard work, sacrifice and dedication in achieving top scores.“You did all this hard work and to have a celebration at the end is nice,” Madison said.She invited her seventh-grade English teacher, Sean O'Donnell, to the picnic.“He pushes his students to achieve the very best they can,” said Madison, who will pursue a degree in business management and finance at Grove City College.Trofimuk said he is proud of all 10 of the students, not only for their academics, but their achievements in sports and extracurricular activities, too.“These are the kids who have taken a lot of time and effort to succeed,” he said.

Daulton Roth, talks with his accounting teacher, Anne Wargo, during the Knoch High School Top 10 Dinner at Laura Doerr Park.

Howard Hunt invited physics teacher Laurel Nickles to the picnic-style meal.