Winn’s Students of the Year were presented to the School Board at the opening of their February session Monday. Students in grades 5, 8 and 12 from each school are selected for the honor, with an overall parish winner from each level chosen.
Mia Whisonant, Winnfield Middle School, was named as the 5th grade winner. Emily Grace Adams, Winnfield Middle School, was named as 8th grade winner. Alyssa VanBlaricum, WSHS, was named as 12th grade winner.
Mia, daughter of Brandi Whisonant and Hugo Vargas, has placed first in science fair two years in a row. Emily Grace, daughter of Chad and Carolee Adams, has maintained a 4.0 GPS since kindergarten and earned a perfect 850 on the ELA LEAP test last year. Alyssa, daughter of Christy VanBlaricum, placed fourth in the nation in FFA competition for Parliamentary Procedure.
Nancy Crain, Student of the Year Coordinator, explained that the route from school Student of the Year honors to state recognition is arduous, going from school to parish (district) to zone to regional and finally to state. Each step along the way involves education committee reviews of the student’s academic achievements, projects and activities. Students are also required to write essays and sit for interviews each step along the way. “It’s a difficult competition.”
Introducing the presentation, Supt. Alfred Simmons said that all of the students selected at each school are winners, a point of pride to the board, their schools and their families. The 8th and 12th grade winners, Emily Grace and Alyssa, have moved through zone and will advance to regionals. “It won’t be easy but Winn has had state winners in the past,” observed Simmons. “We wish them well.”
The other winners of the Student of the Year contest were recognized in a PowerPoint presentation directed by Mrs. Crain. For 5th grade, Jaxon Griffin, son of Hana and Brian Griffin won the honor at Calvin High School. Twice selected as a “Terrific Kid,” he has maintained a 4.0 GPA for the past four years. Hayden Stoner, daughter of Heather Williams, was selected at Dodson High School. She considers her top performance as being the DARE program essay winner.
Kolt Keiffer, son of Justin and Tamala Keiffer, was the 8th grade winner at Calvin High School. He’s been able to combine baseball and basketball and still maintain a 4.0 GPS since pre-K. At Dodson High School, the 8th grade winner was Judson Jordan, son of Valerie and Brent Jordan. Enjoying the school’s close community of students and teachers, he has served as 4-H reporter for two years running.
For the 12th grade honors, Kayden Corbitt, daughter of Denise Corbitt, was named at Calvin High School. Friends and teachers at CHS are important to her and she’s been accepted at Northwestern State University. Anna Worthington, daughter of Melanie and Eddie Worthington, is the Dodson High School winner. Enjoying the small school setting, she won individual silver at national FFA competition in Environmental & Natural Resources.
Simmons presented plaques to the three parish winners as well as the three school winners from Dodson who attended Monday’s meeting.
