A North Texas school district is celebrating academic excellence with a special signing day like none other.
DeSoto High School senior Patrice Spears signed a document that will change the next four years of her life.
The aspiring television reporter, one of 16 students at the school's first academic signing day, is heading to Texas Christian University on a full-ride scholarship.
"It's very exciting. I'm very ecstatic," she said.
Signing-day ceremonies are usually reserved for high school student athletes who are signing with college sport teams. But the DeSoto Independent School District decided to highlight the hard work and accomplishments of a particular group of graduating seniors.
"We think that we have something that is better, and that's our academic students who are able to come out and show that academically they doing the right things as well," Superintendent David Harris said.
Julia Masters, a parent, said Tuesday's ceremony was the perfect recognition.
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"I'm so happy that DeSoto decided not to be only about the athletic department but the academics," she said.
