MORAN — Mallory Heim implored her fellow Marmaton Valley High School graduates to look forward, not backward, now that their high school careers are complete.
Heim, valedictorian for Marmaton Valley’s Class of 2023, quoted the famed musical “Hamilton,” while also lauding the school’s teachers, faculties and others in the community for their support.
“There’s a million things I haven’t done,” Heim said. “But just you wait — just you wait.”
It’s not necessarily what the students want to be after they graduate, she continued, but rather who they want to be that matters.
Student achievement, of course, was center stage. Also recognized for their achievement were salutatorians, Bryce Ensminger, Bailey LaRue and Madison Lawson.
Heim, Ensminger, LaRue and Lawson also received special honor cords for maintaining a 3.5-or-above grade-point average through high school, along with Zachary Alee, Mary Brown, Tristan Cary, Kaitlyn Drake, Roslyn Houk,and Tayven Sutton.
THE GRADUATES earned scholarships aplenty to continue their education at universities, community colleges, vocational technical schools or other centers of higher learning.
Recipients announced at Saturday’s commencement:
Zachary Allee — Haberbosch Family Scholarship, Elsmore Alumni Scholarship, Wichita State University Merit Scholars, Vinylplex/Sunderson Pipe Scholarship, Marmaton Valley Cooks Scholarship and American Legion Auxiliary Scholarship
Kiowa Boelmer — United States Air Force
Mary Brown — Marmaton Valley FFA Scholarship, Oklahoma State University Out-Of-State Achievement Scholarship and Farm Aid FFA Scholarship
Tristan Cary — Kansas Kids @ Gear Up Scholarship and Building Better Moms Scholarship
Dylan Drake — LaHarpe Alumni Scholarship, Jones Hardy Post 385 American Legion Scholarship and UNOH Scholarship
Kaitlyn Drake — Tabor Academic Scholarship, Tabor Track and Field Athletic Scholarship, Kansas Grant, LaHarpe Alumni Scholarship and Jones Hardy Post 385 American Legion Scholarship
Bryce Ensminger — RE French Scholarship, Pittsburg State University License Plate Scholarship and Pittsburg State University Plastics Engineering Technology Scholarship
